A study of 3013 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma: Etiology and therapy before and during the current decade.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a significant global problem. With advances in HCC diagnosis and therapy, our hypothesis is that there are significant differences in the clinical characteristics and treatment of HCC over the years. METHODS: Patients with HCC between 1980 and 2018 from three major tertiary hospitals in Singapore were enrolled into a Research Electronic Data Capture database. Clinical characteristics and treatment of HCC were compared between those diagnosed before 2008 (cohort A) and during the current decade (ie from 2008 onwards) (cohort B). RESULTS: There were 3013 patients. Mean age of HCC diagnosis was significantly older in cohort B (68.6 vs 61.2 years, P < 0.001). The most common etiology remained as chronic hepatitis B infection but the proportion due to hepatitis B was significantly lower in cohort B (46.6% vs 57.2%, P < 0.0001). The prevalence of cryptogenic/non-alcoholic steatohepatitis was significantly higher in cohort B than cohort A (27.1% vs 18.6%, P < 0.0001). More patients received curative therapy in cohort B (43.7% vs 27.1%, P < 0.0001. CONCLUSION: In this largest collection of HCC patients in Singapore, patients are diagnosed with HCC at an older age and cryptogenic/non-alcoholic steatohepatitis is becoming more important as an etiology of HCC in the current decade. More patients also received curative therapy in the current decade.

Predictors of 90-Day Mortality following Hepatic Resection for Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: 90-day mortality is a key performance indicator for short-term perioperative outcome of hepatic resection (HR). Although many preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative variables predict 90-day mortality following elective HR, only few are specific to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aims to determine the predictors of 90-day mortality following elective HR for HCC. METHODS: We report a retrospective analysis of patients who underwent elective HR between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2017. Health status, perioperative variables, and the presence of post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) were studied. Cox's regression evaluated factors predicting 90-day mortality. RESULTS: Two hundred and forty-four patients diagnosed with HCC underwent HR; 102 (41.8%) underwent a major HR. The postoperative 90-day mortality rate was 5.3%. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that Child-Pugh score (p < 0.001), intraoperative blood loss (p = 0.013), the 50-50 criteria for PHLF (p < 0.001) on postoperative day 5, and peak serum bilirubin >119 µmol/L (p = 0.007) on postoperative day 3 predict 90-day mortality. CONCLUSION: In patients with HCC undergoing HR, Child-Pugh score, intraoperative blood loss, the 50-50 criteria for PHLF on postoperative day 5, and peak serum bilirubin >119 µmol/L on postoperative day 3 predict 90-day mortality following elective HR for HCC.

Patient reported outcomes in elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

BACKGROUNDS/AIMS: Traditional outcome measures (e.g., length of hospital stay, morbidity, and mortality) are used to determine the quality of care, but these may not be most important to patients. It is unclear which outcomes matter to patients undergoing elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy (ELC). We aim to identify patient-reported outcome measures (PROM) which patients undergoing ELC valued most. METHODS: A 45-item questionnaire with Four-point Likert-type questions developed from prior literature review, prospectively administered to patients treated with ELC at a tertiary institution in Singapore. RESULTS: Seventy-five patients participated. Most essential factors were technical skill and experience level of a surgeon, long-term quality of life (QoL), patient involvement in decision-making, communication skill of a surgeon, cleanliness of the ward environment, and standards of nursing care. Least important factors were hospitalization leave duration, length of hospital stay, a family's opinion of the hospital, and scar cosmesis. Employed patients were more likely to find hospitalization leave duration (p<0.001) and procedure duration (p=0.042) important. Younger patients (p=0.048) and female gender (p=0.003) were more likely to perceive scar cosmesis as important. CONCLUSIONS: Patients undergoing ELC value long-term QoL, surgeon technical skill and experience level, patient involvement in decision-making, surgeon communication skill, cleanliness of the ward environment, and nursing care standards. Day-case surgery, medical leave, family opinion of hospital, and scar cosmesis were least important. Understanding what patients value will help guide patient-centric healthcare delivery.

Does diabetes mellitus affect presentation, stage and survival in operable pancreatic cancer?

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study is to investigate differences in clinical presentation, disease stage and survival of operable pancreatic cancer patients with new onset DM compared to long standing diabetes mellitus (DM) and non diabetics. METHODS: A prospectively maintained pancreatic cancer surgery database of a tertiary care teaching hospital from January 2006 to August 2012 was reviewed. Only patients with a histological diagnosis of pancreatic carcinoma (PC) were included in final analysis. DM was defined as HbA1c >6.5% or any patient on anti-diabetic treatment regardless of HbA1c value. New onset DM was defined when diagnosed within two preceding years of surgery. Patients were stratified into two groups: DM and non DM. Among the DM patients, patients with new onset DM were further stratified and studied separately. Staging of PC was performed according to the 6(th) edition of AJCC. Survival of patients with PC was determined by reviewing medical records. Patients and their families were contacted if there was no existing follow-up. RESULTS: Eighty-six patients (n=55, 63.9% male) with a mean age of 62 years (range, 29-85 years) underwent pancreatic cancer surgery during the study period. Of the 86 patients, 30 (34%) had DM of which eight patients (9% overall) had new onset DM. DM patients tended to be older compared to non DM patients (67.8 vs. 58.5 years, P=0.0005). The majority of non DM patients were symptomatic (98.2%), and there was a tendency for DM group patients to be asymptomatic at presentation (13.3% vs. 1.8%, P=0.05). Abdominal pain was less common in DM patients compared to non DM patients (30% vs. 53.6%, P=0.04). The median duration of new onset DM prior to diagnosis of PC was 2 months (range, 1-23 months). There was a tendency for DM patients to present at an early stage (stage I and stage II) (P=0.08). There was no difference in survival (P=0.17) for new onset DM compared to long standing DM and non DM patients. CONCLUSIONS: DM patients tend to be older and are less likely to present with abdominal pain. Asymptomatic presentation and early stage disease tends to occur in DM patients. A larger sample size is required to determine if survival of new onset DM patients differs from long standing and non DM patients.

Outcomes of slit mesh in laparoscopic totally extraperitoneal inguinal hernia repair: Does it affect recurrence?

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to compare outcomes between slit and non-slit mesh placement in laparoscopic totally extraperitoneal inguinal hernia repair. METHODS: This is a retrospective study of 113 patients who underwent laparoscopic totally extraperitoneal inguinal hernia repair with Ultrapro mesh between January 2010 and December 2011. Sixty-two and 82 hernias were operated on in the slit mesh and non-slit mesh groups, respectively. Postoperative complications, recurrence, and patient satisfaction levels were evaluated. RESULTS: One hernia in the slit mesh group (1/62, 1.6%) and one in the non-slit mesh group (1/82, 1.2%) developed recurrence (P = 1.00). The incidence of postoperative neuralgia was 4/62 (6.5%) and 7/82 (8.5%) in the slit mesh and non-slit mesh groups, respectively (P = 0.76). Satisfaction rates in the slit mesh and non-slit mesh groups were similar at 60/62 (96.8%) and 80/82 (97.6%), respectively (P = 1.00). CONCLUSION: No significant differences in outcomes were found between slit and non-slit mesh placement. Both have low complication rates, low recurrence rates, and high satisfaction levels.

Common bile duct exploration in an elderly Asian population.

Common bile duct exploration (CBDE) is an accepted treatment for choledocholithiasis. This procedure is not well studied in the elderly population. Here we evaluate the results of CBDE in elderly patients (>70 years) and compare the open (group A) with the laparoscopic group (group B). A retrospective review was performed of elderly patients with proven common bile duct (CBD) stones who underwent CBDE from January 2005 to December 2009. There were 55 patients in group A and 33 patients in group B. Mean age was 77.6 years (70-91 years). Both groups had similar demographics, liver function tests, and stone size-12 mm (range, 5-28 mm). Patients who had empyema (n = 9), acute cholecystitis (n = 15), and those who had had emergency surgery (n = 28) were more likely to be in group A (P < 0.05). The mean length of stay for group A was 11.7 ± 7.3 days; for group B, 5.2 ± 6.3 days; the complication rate was higher in group A (group A, 38.2%; group B, 8.5%; P = 0.072). The overall complication and mortality rate was 29.5% and 3.4%, respectively. CBDE can be performed safely in the elderly with accepted morbidity and mortality. The laparoscopic approach is feasible and safe in elective setting even in the elderly.

Long term survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma directly invading the gastrointestinal tract: case reports and literature review.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) directly invading the gastrointestinal (GI) organs is rare and is associated with poor survival outcome. We report two patients with good long-term outcome following resection of HCC that invaded the stomach and duodenum, respectively. A literature review was conducted to elucidate the course of patients with this pathology. Two cases (57-year-old and 72-year-old males) with enlarged hepatic tumors directly invading the stomach and duodenum underwent hepatectomies with en-bloc resection of the involved organs. Both patients are still alive at 80 and 68 months following the surgery. Our literature review showed that most of the patients with this pathology have manifested, and died of persistent GI bleeding. Patients who were treated surgically had a statistically significant longer survival than those who were treated with non-surgical palliative treatments (P < 0.001). In addition, patients who were treated with surgery with curative intent tend to have a longer survival times than those who were treated with surgery to palliate the bleeding but the difference was not statistically significant (P < 0.174). Removing the tumor completely could significantly prolong the survival of patients with HCC invading the GI tract.