Mini-abstract
We developed a novel technique for valvuloplastic esophagogastrostomy, named tri double-flap hybrid method (TDF). TDF is shown to be simple and useful for Siewert type II ...esophagogastric junction carcinoma.
Background
Research has found valvuloplastic esophagogastrostomy using the conventional hand-sutured double-flap (CDF) technique to be a useful anti-reflux procedure after proximal gastrectomy. However, no study has focused on this reconstruction procedure after laparoscopic transhiatal lower esophagectomy and proximal gastrectomy (LEPG) for esophagogastric junction carcinoma primarily because of its profound difficulty. Thus, we devised a novel technique for valvuloplastic esophagogastrostomy comprising triangular linear-stapled esophagogastrostomy and hand-sutured flap closure, which we term the tri double-flap hybrid (TDF) method.
Methods
After reviewing our institution’s prospective gastric cancer database, 59 consecutive patients with Siewert type II esophagogastric junction carcinoma who underwent LEPG with valvuloplastic esophagogastrostomy from January 2014 to August 2018 were analyzed. Short- and mid-term surgical outcomes were then compared between the LEPG-TDF and LEPG-CDF groups to evaluate the efficacy of the TDF method.
Results
The median operative time was 316 min (184–613 min) and blood loss was 22.5 ml (0–180 ml). In comparison between the two groups, the LEPG-TDF group had a significantly shorter operative time (298 vs. 336 min,
p
= 0.041) and significantly lower postoperative anastomotic leak/stenosis rates (0 vs. 14.2%,
p
= 0.045), compared to the LEPG-CDF group. No patient suffered from severe gastroesophageal reflux symptoms (Visick score ≥ III).
Conclusions
This study showed that double-flap valvuloplastic esophagogastrostomy is safe and feasible for reconstruction after LEPG for Siewert type II esophagogastric junction carcinoma. Moreover, the TDF method is a simple and useful technique that offers a shorter operative time and lower morbidity compared to the CDF technique.
Background
The Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), an indicator that objectively quantifies comorbidities, reduces nutritional status; however, the impact of the CCI on the postoperative nutrition ...indexes of patients with esophageal cancer remains unclear.
Methods
In total, 336 patients with esophageal cancer who underwent surgery between January 2011 and April 2017 were included in this study. We investigated the relationship between the CCI and postoperative nutrition indexes.
Results
Patients were divided into two groups: CCI ≤1 (low CCI group) and CCI ≥2 (high CCI group). A high CCI was significantly associated with shortened overall survival (OS; 3-year OS rate of 77.9% in the low CCI group versus 59.7% in the high CCI group;
p =
0.008). Nutritional indexes, such as the Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI), at 1 month after esophagectomy were significantly lower in the high CCI group than in the low CCI group (
p =
0.031); however, the PNI at 6 months after surgery was similar between the high and low CCI groups. Multivariate analysis identified high CCI as an independent risk factor associated with PNI <45 in esophageal cancer patients at 1 month after esophagectomy (
p =
0.047).
Conclusion
This study showed that CCI ≥2 was significantly associated with poor PNI at 1 month after surgery for esophageal cancer, indicating that it is necessary to administer effective nutritional interventions for patients with postoperative malnutrition, especially those with multiple comorbidities.
Background
Malnutrition is an independent risk factor for postoperative mortality and morbidity in major gastrointestinal surgery. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of ...malnutrition and identify the optimal preoperative nutritional support for preventing postoperative surgical site infections (SSIs) in malnourished gastric cancer patients undergoing gastrectomy.
Methods
We analyzed 800 patients with gastric cancer who underwent gastrectomy. Nutritional risk factors included weight loss >10 % within 6 months, body mass index <18.5 kg/m
2
, Subjective Global Assessment Grade C, and serum albumin <3.0 g/dl. Adequate energy intake was defined as receiving ≥25 kcal/kg ideal body weight per day. Optimal nutritional support was examined in terms of both duration and calorie intake.
Results
Overall, 152 patients (19.0 %) were classified as malnourished. The incidence of SSIs was significantly higher in malnourished patients than in well-nourished patients (35.5 vs. 14.0 %;
p
< 0.0001). The incidence of SSIs in malnourished patients was significantly lower in the well-supported group receiving adequate energy support for at least 10 days than in the poorly-supported group, which received inadequate or no energy support or adequate energy support for <10 days (17.0 vs. 45.4 %;
p
= 0.0006). In multivariate analysis, well-managed nutritional support was identified as an independent factor associated with fewer SSIs (odds ratio 0.14; 95 % confidence interval 0.05–0.37;
p
= 0.0002).
Conclusions
Malnutrition, a risk factor for SSI, was prevalent in gastric cancer patients preoperatively. Well-managed preoperative nutritional support decreased the incidence of postoperative SSIs in malnourished patients.
We established a preoperative exercise and nutritional support program for elderly sarcopenic patients with gastric cancer. Twenty-two gastric cancer patients aged 65 years or older with a diagnosis ...of sarcopenia according to the algorithm proposed by the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People received our preoperative program. The median duration of the program participation was 16 days. Total calorie and protein intakes were significantly higher after the program than before 29.4 ± 6.9 kcal/kg ideal body weight (IBW) vs 27.3 ± 5.6 kcal/kg IBW,
p
= 0.049, and 1.3 ± 0.4 g/kg IBW vs 1.1 ± 0.3 g/kg IBW,
p
= 0.0019, respectively. Handgrip strength significantly increased after the program (21.2 ± 5.2 kg vs 20.0 ± 5.3 kg,
p
= 0.022). Likewise, gait speed and skeletal muscle mass index increased, although the differences did not reach statistical significance. Four patients became nonsarcopenic after the program. Postoperative complications were observed in three patients (13.6%); however, none of these complications were severe (Clavien-Dindo grade III or lower). A preoperative exercise and nutritional support program has the potential to reduce sarcopenia and improve postoperative outcome in elderly sarcopenic patients with gastric cancer.
Backgrounds
Since the prognosis of patients with adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction (AEG) remains poor, more intensive treatments, including neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC), should be ...developed. We retrospectively examined whether neoadjuvant docetaxel, oxaliplatin, and S‑1 (DOS) combination chemotherapy resulted in a favorable clinical response and acceptable toxicity in patients with AEG.
Methods
This retrospective cohort study included 36 consecutive patients with cStage IIB–IV AEG (Siewert types I–III). Regarding stage IV disease, patients with resectable distant lymph node metastasis (M1-LYM) were eligible. Patients underwent three 3-week cycles of docetaxel (40 mg/m
2
) and oxaliplatin (100 mg/m
2
) on day 1 plus oral S-1 (80–120 mg according to body surface area) from day 1 to 14. Surgical resection was performed within 2–4 weeks after completion of NAC.
Results
Three cycles of neoadjuvant DOS were completed in 28 (78%) patients. Grade 3–4 neutropenia, anorexia, and diarrhea were observed in 26 (72%), 7 (19%), and 4 (11%) patients, respectively. Febrile neutropenia occurred in six (17%) patients. There were no treatment-related deaths. R0 resection was achieved in 35 (97%) patients, and postoperative morbidities of Clavien–Dindo grade III or higher were observed in 6 (17%) patients. Pathological complete response was observed in 11 (31%) of 36 patients. Pathological response rates of grade ≥ 2 and grade ≥ 1b were 47 and 72%, respectively. Two-year progression-free and overall survival rates were 60.1 and 81.2%, respectively.
Conclusions
Neoadjuvant DOS therapy for AEG produced high pathological response rates with an acceptable safety profile, and may be a promising treatment strategy.
Background
Ghrelin has been reported to reduce postoperative weight loss by improving appetite and food intake in patients undergoing upper gastrointestinal surgery.
Objective
We aimed to investigate ...whether growth hormone induction, another essential effect of ghrelin, may attenuate skeletal muscle loss in patients during postoperative starvation.
Methods
Esophageal cancer patients were randomized to receive a continuous intravenous infusion of high-dose ghrelin (HD; 0.5 µg/kg/h), low-dose ghrelin (LD; 0.25 µg/kg/h), or placebo for 7 days after surgery. During this period, oral feeding was not introduced but the patients received the same parenteral and enteral nutrition. We investigated the effects of ghrelin on body weight, skeletal muscle mass, nutritional status, and hormone levels.
Results
Overall, 73 patients were enrolled in this study. The rate of weight loss on postoperative day (POD) 7 relative to that before surgery was significantly lower in the HD group than in the placebo group (HD vs. placebo: −0.61% vs. 1.8%,
p
= 0.030). The rate of muscle loss in the erector spinae muscle on POD 7 in the HD and LD groups was significantly lower than that in the placebo group (HD vs. placebo: 2.8% vs. 8.5%,
p
< 0.001; LD vs. placebo: 4.9% vs. 8.5%,
p
= 0.028). The levels of growth hormone on PODs 1, 3, and 7, and insulin-like growth factor 1 on PODs 3, 7, and 14 were significantly higher in patients who received ghrelin.
Conclusion
Continuous ghrelin administration could attenuate skeletal muscle loss in esophageal cancer patients during postoperative starvation.
Objective
This prospective randomized trial compared the invasiveness of laparoscopic gastrectomy using a single-port approach with that of a conventional multi-port approach in the treatment of ...gastric cancer.
Summary Background Data
The benefit of single-port laparoscopic gastrectomy (SLG) over multi-port laparoscopic gastrectomy (MLG) has yet to be confirmed in a well-designed study.
Methods
One hundred and one patients who were scheduled to undergo laparoscopic distal gastrectomy for histologically confirmed clinical stage I gastric cancer between April 2016 and September 2018 were randomly allocated to SLG (
n
= 50) or MLG (
n
= 51). The primary endpoints were the postoperative visual analog scale pain scores. Secondary endpoints were frequency of use of analgesia, short-term outcomes, such as operating time, intraoperative blood loss, inflammatory reactions, postoperative morbidity, and 90-day mortality.
Results
The postoperative pain score was significantly lower in the SLG group than in the MLG group (
p
< 0.001) on the operative day and the postoperative day 1–7. Analgesics were administered significantly less often in the SLG group than in the MLG group (1 vs. 3 days,
p
= 0.0078) and the duration of use of analgesics was significantly shorter in the SLG group (2 vs. 3 days,
p
= 0.0171). The operating time was significantly shorter in the SLG group than in the MLG group (169 vs. 182 min,
p
= 0.0399). Other surgical outcomes were comparable between the study groups.
Conclusions
SLG was shown to be safe and feasible in the treatment of gastric cancer with better short-term results in terms of less severe pain and may be suitable for treatment of cStage I gastric cancer.
Clinical trial registration:
UMIN000022218
Background
Malignancy is a secondary cause of sarcopenia, which is associated with impaired cancer treatment outcomes. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of preoperative ...sarcopenia among elderly gastric cancer patients undergoing gastrectomy and the differences in preoperative dietary intake and postoperative complications between sarcopenic and non-sarcopenic patients.
Methods
Ninety-nine patients over 65 years of age who underwent gastrectomy for gastric cancer were analyzed. All patients underwent gait and handgrip strength testing, and whole-body skeletal muscle mass was measured using a bioimpedance analysis technique based on the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) algorithm for the evaluation of sarcopenia before surgery. Preoperative dietary intake was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire.
Results
Of these patients, 21 (21.2 %) were diagnosed with sarcopenia. Sarcopenic patients consumed fewer calories and less protein preoperatively (23.9 vs. 27.8 kcal/kg ideal weight/day and 0.86 vs. 1.04 g/kg ideal weight/day;
P
= 0.001 and 0.0005, respectively). Although the overall incidence of postoperative complications was similar in the two groups (57.1 % vs. 35.9 %;
P
= 0.08), the incidence of severe (Clavien–Dindo grade ≥ IIIa) complications was significantly higher in the sarcopenic group than in the non-sarcopenic group (28.6 % vs. 9.0 %;
P
= 0.029). In the multivariate analysis, sarcopenia alone was identified as a risk factor for severe postoperative complications (odds ratio, 4.76; 95 % confidence interval, 1.03–24.30;
P
= 0.046).
Conclusions
Preoperative sarcopenia as defined by the EWGSOP algorithm is a risk factor for severe postoperative complications in elderly gastric cancer patients undergoing gastrectomy.
Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) have long been recognized as playing an important role in tumor immune microenvironment. Lately, the Immunoscore (IS) has been proposed as a new method of ...quantifying the number of TILs in association with patient survival in several cancer types.
In 300 preoperatively untreated esophageal cancer (EC) patients who underwent curative resection at two different institutes, immunohistochemical staining using CD3 and CD8 antibodies was performed to evaluate IS, as objectively scored by auto-counted TILs in the tumor core and invasive margin. In addition, in pre-neoadjuvant chemotherapy (pre-NAC) endoscopic biopsies of a different cohort of 146 EC patients who received NAC, CD3, and CD8 were immunostained to evaluate TIL density.
In all cases, the IS-high (score 3-4) group tended to have better survival 5-year overall survival (OS) of the IS-high vs low group: 77.6 vs 65.8%, P = 0.0722 than the IS-low (score 1-2) group. This trend was more remarkable in cStage II-IV patients (70.2 vs 54.5%, P = 0.0208) and multivariate analysis of OS further identified IS (hazard ratio 2.07, P = 0.0043) to be an independent prognostic variable. In preNAC biopsies, NAC-responders had higher densities than non-responders of both CD3 + ( P = 0.0106) and CD8 + cells ( P = 0.0729) and, particularly CD3 + cell density was found to be an independent prognostic factor (hazard ratio 1.75, P = 0.0169).
The IS signature in surgical specimens and TIL density in preNAC- biopsies could be predictive markers of clinical outcomes in EC patients.
Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs) are ectopic lymphoid aggregates in non-lymphoid tissues, which are associated with improved prognosis in some cancer types. This study aimed to investigate the ...clinical significance of TLSs in oesophageal cancer (EC).
In a series of 316 EC surgical specimens from two different institutes, we evaluated the density and maturity of peritumoral TLSs using haematoxylin/eosin, immunohistochemistry, and multiplex immunofluorescence staining. We analysed the association between TLSs and clinicopathological parameters. The clinical significance of TLSs was further evaluated in a different cohort of 34 patients with recurrent EC treated with anti-PD-1 antibody.
Tumours with high TLS density predominantly consisted of matured TLSs. High TLS density was significantly associated with less advanced tumour stage, absence of lymphatic/vascular invasion, better serum nutrition parameters (neutrophils count, albumin, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and prognostic nutritional index), and prolonged survival. This survival trend was more remarkable in cases with matured TLSs, which represented an increased population of CD138
plasma cells. In the second EC cohort, TLS density predicted the clinical response to anti-PD-1 antibody and patient survival.
The density and maturity of peritumoral TLSs are useful parameters for predicting long-term survival and response to anti-PD-1 antibody treatment in EC patients.
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