Esophageal cancer is the eighth most common cancer globally and has the sixth worst prognosis because of its aggressiveness and poor survival. Data regarding cancer treatment in older patients is ...limited because the elderly have been under-represented in clinical trials. Therefore, we reviewed the existing literature regarding treatment results for elderly patients (70+ years). Areas covered: We used pubmed to analyze the actual literature according to elderly esophageal cancer patients with subheading of incidence, esophagectomy, chemoradiation or chemotherapy. The main points of interest were treatment options for patients with Barrett's esophagus or early carcinoma, advanced tumor stages, and inoperable cancer. Expert opinion: The incidence of esophageal cancer has been increasing over the past thirty years, with a rapid increase of esophageal adenocarcinoma in Western industrialized nations. Patients aged over 60 years have been particularly affected. In this review, we have shown that elderly patients with esophageal cancer have various alternatives for adequate treatment. Clinical evaluation of comorbidity is necessary to make treatment decisions. Therapeutic options for early carcinomas are endoscopic or surgical resection. For elderly patients with advanced carcinomas, preoperative chemoradiation or chemotherapy should be discussed.
A number of different surgical techniques for the treatment of cancer of the esophagus and the esophagogastric junction have been proposed. Guidelines generally recommend a transthoracic approach for ...esophageal cancer, including Siewert type I tumors. In tumors of the proximal esophageal third, transthoracic esophagectomy may be extended to a three‐field approach, including resection of cervical lymph nodes. However, the choice between transthoracic esophagectomy with intrathoracic anastomosis (Ivor Lewis esophagectomy) and the three‐incision approach with cervical esophago‐gastrostomy (McKeown esophagectomy) remains controversial, with guidelines varying among different countries. Furthermore, it is commonly accepted that Siewert type III tumors should be treated by extended total gastrectomy with transhiatal resection of the lower esophagus, whereas currently no consensus exists regarding the optimal surgical approach for the treatment of Siewert type II adenocarcinoma. Likewise, there is a major controversy regarding palliative and potentially curative treatment modalities in oligometastatic disease. This review deals with current surgical treatment standards for cancer of the esophagus and the eosphagogastric junction, including discussion of ongoing trials.
A number of different surgical techniques for the treatment of cancer of the esophagus and the esophagogastric junction have been proposed. This review deals with current surgical treatment standards for cancer of the esophagus and the eosphagogastric junction, including discussion of ongoing trials.
The main reason for treatment failure after curative surgical resection of gastric cancer is intra-abdominal spread, with 40-50% peritoneal seeding as primary localization of recurrence. Peritoneal ...relapse is seen in 60-70% of tumors of diffuse type, compared to only 20-30% of intestinal type. Hyperthermic IntraPEritoneal Chemoperfusion (HIPEC) is an increasingly used therapy method for patients with peritoneal metastases. The preventive use of HIPEC could represent an elegant approach for patients (pts) before macroscopic peritoneal seeding, since pts. with operable disease are fit and may have potential risk of microscopic involvement, thus having a theoretical chance of cure with HIPEC even without the need for cytoreduction. No results from a PCRT from the Western hemisphere have yet been published.
This is a multicenter, randomized, controlled, open-label study including a total of 200 pts. with localized and locally advanced diffuse or mixed type (Laurens's classification) adenocarcinoma of the stomach and Type II/III GEJ. All enrolled pts. will have received 3-6 pre-operative cycles of biweekly FLOT (Docetaxel 50 mg/m
; Oxaliplatin 85 mg/m
; Leucovorin 200 mg/m
; 5-FU 2600 mg/m
, q2wk). Pts will be randomized 1:1 to receive surgery only and postoperative FLOT (control arm) or surgery + intraoperative HIPEC (cisplatin 75 mg/m
solution administered at a temperature of 42 °C for 90 min) and postoperative FLOT (experimental arm). Surgery is carried out as gastrectomy or transhiatal extended gastrectomy. Primary endpoint is PFS/DFS, major secondary endpoints are OS, rate of pts. with peritoneal relapse at 2 and 3 years, perioperative morbidity/mortality and quality of life. The trial starts with a safety run-in phase. After 20 pts. had curatively intended resection in Arm B, an interim safety analysis is performed. Recruitment has already started and first patient in was on January 18th, 2021.
If the PREVENT concept proves to be effective, this could potentially lead to a new standard of therapy. On the contrary, if the outcome is negative, pts. with gastric cancer and no peritoneal involvement will not be treated with HIPEC during surgery.
The study is registered on June 25th, 2020 under ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04447352 ; EudraCT: 2017-003832-35 .
Background
Achieving proficiency in a surgical procedure is a milestone in the career of a trainee. We introduced a competency assessment tool for laparoscopic cholecystectomy in our residency ...program. Our aim was to assess the inter-rater reliability of this tool.
Methods
We included all laparoscopic cholecystectomies performed by residents under the supervision of board certified surgeons. All residents were assessed at the end of the procedure by the supervising surgeon (live reviewer) using our competency assessment tool. Video records of the same procedure were analyzed by two independent reviewers (reviewer A and B), who were blinded to the performing trainee’s. The assessment had three parts: a laparoscopic cholecystectomy-specific assessment tool (LCAT), the objective structured assessment of technical skills (OSATS) and a 5-item visual analogue scale (VAS) to address the surgeon’s autonomy in each part of the cholecystectomy. We compared the assessment scores of the live supervising surgeon and the video reviewers.
Results
We included 15 junior residents who performed 42 laparoscopic cholecystectomies. Scoring results from live and video reviewer were comparable except for the OSATS and VAS part. The score for OSATS by the live reviewer and reviewer B were 3.68 vs. 4.26 respectively (
p
= 0.04) and for VAS (5.17 vs. 4.63 respectively (
p
= 0.03). The same difference was found between reviewers A and B with OSATS score (3.75 vs. 4.26 respectively (
p
= 0.001)) and VAS (5.56 vs. 4.63 respectively;
p
= 0.004)).
Conclusion
Our competency assessment tool for the evaluation of surgical skills specific to laparoscopic cholecystectomy has been shown to be objective and comparable in-between raters during live procedure or on video material.
Background
Duodenal defects are complex clinical situations, and their management is challenging and associated with high mortality. Besides surgery, endoscopic treatment options exist, but the size ...and location of the perforation can limit their application. We present a retrospective study, demonstrating a successful application of endoscopic vacuum therapy (EVT) for duodenal leaks.
Methods
We performed a retrospective study of all patients who underwent EVT for duodenal perforations between 2016 and 2021 at two tertiary centers. We analyzed demographic and clinical patient characteristics, surgical outcomes, leak characteristics, sponge-related complications, and success rate.
Results
Indications for treatment with EVT in the duodenum consisted of leak after duodenal suture of a perforated ulcer (
n
= 4), iatrogenic perforation after endoscopic resection (
n
= 2), iatrogenic perforation during surgery (
n
= 2), and anastomotic leak after upper gastrointestinal surgery (
n
= 2). EVT was used as a first-line treatment in seven patients and as a second-line treatment in three patients. EVT was successfully applied in all interventions (
n
= 10, 100%). Overall, EVT lead to definitive closure of the defects in eight out of ten patients (80%). No severe EVT-related adverse events occurred.
Conclusion
EVT is safe and technically feasible, so it emerges as a promising endoscopic treatment option for duodenal leaks. However, multidisciplinary collaboration and management are important to reduce the occurrence of postoperative complications, and to improve recovery rates.
Background
Robotic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RRYGB) is performed in an increasing number of bariatric centers worldwide. Previous studies have identified a number of demographic and clinical ...variables as predictors of postoperative complications after laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB). Some authors have suggested better early postoperative outcomes after RRYGB compared to LRYGB. The objective of the present study was to assess potential predictors of early postoperative complications after RRYGB.
Methods
A retrospective analysis of two prospective databases containing patients who underwent RRYGB between 2006 and 2019 at two high volumes, accredited bariatric centers was performed. Primary outcome was rate of 30 day postoperative complications. Relevant demographic, clinical and biological variables were entered in a multivariate, logistic regression analysis to identify potential predictors.
Results
Data of 1276 patients were analyzed, including 958 female and 318 male patients. Rates of overall and severe 30 day complications were 12.5% (160/1276) and 3.9% (50/1276), respectively. Rate of 30 day reoperations was 1.6% (21/1276). The overall gastrointestinal leak rate was 0.2% (3/1276). Among various demographic, clinical and biological variables, male sex and ASA score >2 were significantly correlated with an increased risk of 30 day complication rates on multivariate analysis (OR 1.68 and 1.67, p=0.005 and 0.005, respectively).
Conclusion
This study identified male sex and ASA score >2 as independent predictors of early postoperative complications after RRYGB. These data suggest a potentially different risk profile in terms of early postoperative complications after RRYGB compared to LYRGB. The robotic approach might have a benefit for patients traditionally considered to be at higher risk of complications after LRYGB, such as those with BMI >50. The present study was however not designed to assess this hypothesis and larger, prospective studies are necessary to confirm these results.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the frequency of lymph node metastasis according to the depth of tumor infiltration of the mucosa and submucosa.
Currently some endoscopists extend the ...indication for endoscopic mucosal resection in gastric cancer to the submucosa. However, the decision between endoscopic mucosectomy or gastrectomy with lymphadenectomy for early gastric cancer depends especially on the probability of lymph node metastasis.
One hundred twenty-six patients either had subtotal resection (n = 29) or total gastrectomy (n = 97) for T1 gastric cancer. The median number of resected lymph nodes was 21 (1-63). In the histopathologic analysis of the specimens the tumors were differentiated according to their wall penetration in the upper (m1), middle (m2), lower (m3) third of the mucosa or submucosa (sm1, sm2, sm3). The greatest diameter of the lesions, the Grading and the Goseki-, Ming-, WHO-, and Laurén classification were determined.
Patients with m1 (n = 3) and m2 (n = 5) layer infiltration had no lymphatic metastasis compared with 13% for m3 (n = 39). The rate of lymphatic metastasis in submucosal carcinomas was 21% for sm1 (n = 29), 16% for sm2 (n = 23) and 40% for sm3 (n = 25). Carcinomas with papillary differentiation, Grading G1 or <1 cm in diameter had no lymph node metastasis. The size of tumor <2 cm or > or =2 cm showed independent influence on the rate of lymph node metastasis.
Endoscopic mucosectomy in m3 carcinoma is questionable and in all submucosal carcinomas and lesions > or =2 cm it is not indicated.
Aims
Neoadjuvant chemoradiation reduces tumour volume and improves the R0 resection rate, followed by extended survival for patients with advanced oesophageal cancer. The degree of tumour regression ...has high prognostic relevance. To date, there is still no generally accepted tumour regression grading system. The aim of this study was to compare the prognostic discrimination power of different histological regression grading systems: (i) the fibrosis/tumour ratio within the primary tumour (Mandard classification), (ii) the percentage of residual vital tumour cells (VTC) compared to the original primary tumour (Cologne Regression) and (iii) the ypT category, in patients with cT3 carcinoma of the oesophagus after neoadjuvant chemoradiation.
Methods and results
This study included 216 patients with oesophageal cancer clinically staged as cT3NxM0 and treated from 2009 to 2012 with standardised chemoradiation followed by oesophagectomy median age 62 years, 176 (81%) male and 138 (64%) adenocarcinoma patients. The subgroup frequencies of the three classification systems were ypT category: ypT0 = 18%, ypT1 = 14%, ypT2 = 23%, ypT3 = 44%, ypT4 = 1%; Mandard classification: TRG1 = 18%, TRG2 = 26%, TRG3 = 24%, TRG4 = 30%, TRG5 = 2%; and Cologne Regression Scale: no tumour = 18%, 1–10% VTC = 27%, 10–50% VTC = 26% and >50% VTC = 29%. The Mandard and Cologne Regression classifications showed better prognostic differentiation for the subgroups than the ypT category. The four‐tiered Cologne Regression system had a good prognostic relevance. Comparing results of the re‐evaluated Cologne Regression classification with the classification by routine pathological report showed very good inter‐rater agreement, with kappa value 0.891.
Conclusion
Compared to the original primary tumour, the tumour regression grading system using the percentage of residual vital tumour has prognostic relevance.
Background
Clinical guidelines are essential in implementing and maintaining nationwide stage-specific diagnostic and therapeutic standards. In 2011, the first German expert consensus guideline ...defined the evidence for diagnosis and treatment of early and locally advanced esophagogastric cancers. Here, we compare this guideline with other national guidelines as well as current literature.
Methods
The German S3-guideline used an approved development process with de novo literature research, international guideline adaptation, or good clinical practice. Other recent evidence-based national guidelines and current references were compared with German recommendations.
Results
In the German S3 and other Western guidelines, adenocarcinomas of the esophagogastric junction (AEG) are classified according to formerly defined AEG I–III subgroups due to the high surgical impact. To stage local disease, computed tomography of the chest and abdomen and endosonography are reinforced. In contrast, laparoscopy is optional for staging. Mucosal cancers (T1a) should be endoscopically resected “en-bloc” to allow complete histological evaluation of lateral and basal margins. For locally advanced cancers of the stomach or esophagogastric junction (≥T3N+), preferred treatment is preoperative and postoperative chemotherapy. Preoperative radiochemotherapy is an evidence-based alternative for large AEG type I–II tumors (≥T3N+). Additionally, some experts recommend treating T2 tumors with a similar approach, mainly because pretherapeutic staging is often considered to be unreliable.
Conclusions
The German S3 guideline represents an up-to-date European position with regard to diagnosis, staging, and treatment recommendations for patients with locally advanced esophagogastric cancer. Effects of perioperative chemotherapy versus chemoradiotherapy are still to be investigated for adenocarcinoma of the cardia and the lower esophagus.
To evaluate the potential of (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) after the completion of neoadjuvant chemoradiation for the assessment of histopathologic response and ...prognosis in the multimodality treatment of patients with esophageal cancer.
Combined chemoradiation with and without surgery are widely accepted treatment options for patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer. Evidence suggests that patients with response to chemoradiation have no additional benefit from surgery compared with definitive chemoradiation. However, there is still a great lack in noninvasive markers for response assessment in patients with esophageal cancer undergoing multimodality treatment. Interestingly, recent studies imply that FDG-PET significantly correlates with histopathologic response and survival in patients with esophageal cancer undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgical resection.
Study patients were recruited from a prospective clinical observation trial on neoadjuvant chemoradiation for esophageal cancer between 1997 and 2006. The study included 119 (98 men, 21 women; median age, 59.4 years; squamous cell cancer: 66; adenocarcinoma: 53) patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer (cT2- 4, N(x), M(0)). All patients received neoadjuvant chemoradiation (cisplatin, 5-FU, 36 Gy) and subsequently underwent transthoracic en bloc esophagectomy. Histomorphologic regression was defined as major histopathologic response when resected specimens contained less than 10% vital residual tumor cells (major response: 47 patients 39.5%; minor response: 72 patients 60.5%). FDG-PET was performed before and 2 to 3 weeks after the end of chemoradiation with assessment of the intratumoral FDG-uptake (pretreatment standardized uptake value; post-treatment standardized uptake value; percentage change). These variables were correlated with histopathologic response and survival.
Major histomorphologic response was confirmed as an important prognostic factor (P = 0.005; log-rank test). Neoadjuvant chemoradiation led to a significant reduction of intratumoral FDG-uptake (P = 0.0001). A nonsignificant association was seen between major responders and FDG-PET results (P = 0.056). However, the receiver operating characteristic analysis could not identify a standardized uptake value threshold with a relevant predictive value for histomorphologic response. No significant association between metabolic imaging and prognosis was found.
FDG-PET seems not to be an imaging system that effectively characterizes the groups of major and minor response as well as survival in patients with esophageal cancer after multimodality treatment.
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