Radiofrequency ablation assisted resection for hepatocellular carcinoma: morbidity, mortality and long term survival.

PURPOSE: Hepatic resection is the mainstay of the curative treatment of primary hepatic tumors, with constantly improving short and long term results. Radiofrequency ablation (RFA)-assisted liver resection is a relatively new method of transection of the liver parenchyma with favorable intra- and perioperative results. The aim of this study was to investigate the oncological efficacy (long term overall survival/OS and disease free survival/DFS) and to confirm the favorable short term morbidity and mortality. METHODS: Between May 2004 and January 2007, 28 patients underwent 32 resections with removal of 50 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) lesions. The technique of parenchymal transection has been described previously as RFA-assisted liver resection. RESULTS: Thirty-day morbidity and mortality were 42.8 and 0%, respectively. Blood transfusion was necessary for 28.5% of the patients. The median hospital stay was 16.5 days (range 5-34). The 1- and 3-year OS were 92.9 and 65.7%, respectively. The 1- and 3-year DFS were 62.3 and 54.6- respectively. No patient developed metastatic disease or local recurrence at the margin site. Twelve patients (42.9%) developed in-the-liver recurrence away from the resection area. CONCLUSION: RFA-assisted liver resection is a safe and oncologically efficacious method for the surgical treatment of HCC with results comparable to other surgical techniques.

Intraductal Implantation of Biliary Neoplasms: A Potential Cause of "Multifocal" Tumors.

Multiple biliary tumors rarely develop in patients without underlying chronic hepatobiliary disease. Those lesions are regarded as multifocal neoplasms if there is no interconnecting dysplasia. This study aimed to determine whether 2 separate tumors in the biliary tract represent true multifocal independent tumorigenesis or intraluminal implantation of a single neoplasm. Two separate biliary tumors without intervening dysplasia were identified in 9 cases: biliary intraductal papillary neoplasm (IPNB; n=5) and extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (n=4). The 2 tumors were histologically similar in all cases. In 5 metachronous cases, the second tumor developed 2 to 13 years after the complete resection of the first tumor. In 4 synchronous cases, 2 separate neoplasms were identified in a surgical specimen. The metachronous presentation was more common in IPNB cases, whereas the synchronous development was more frequent in cholangiocarcinoma cases. The second tumors in 4 metachronous cases (4/5; 80%) and smaller lesions in all synchronous cases (4/4; 100%) were located in a lower part of the biliary. Immunophenotypes of cytokeratins and mucin core proteins were almost identical between the 2 lesions. Next-generation sequencing also confirmed that the 2 neoplasms shared gene mutations involving KRAS, GNAS, APC, BRAF, CTNNB1, SMAD4, TP53, or ARID1A in all cases. In conclusion, multiple biliary tumors without underlying chronic biliary disease are most likely due to intraductal implantation of a single neoplasm. Thick mucinous bile in IPNB and increasing use of trans-ampullary biliary interventions may contribute to this unique form of tumor extension.

Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) and chronic pancreatitis: overlapping pathological entities? Two case reports.

CONTEXT: Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs) are a recently classified pancreatic neoplasm with an increasing incidence. IPMN is often misdiagnosed as chronic pancreatitis because of symptoms of relapsing abdominal pain, pancreatitis, and steatorrhea and imaging findings of a dilated pancreatic duct of cystic lesions that are frequently confused with pseudocysts. Early recognition of IPMN allows for prompt surgical resection before malignant transformation. CASE REPORTS: We report two cases of patients with long histories of chronic pancreatitis (more than 15 years) that went on to develop IPMN. Both patients presented with symptoms of abdominal pain, nausea, steatorrhoea and eventually weight loss. Biochemical and radiological findings were suggestive of chronic pancreatitis although no clear causes for this were identified. Both patients were followed up with multiple repeat scans with no reported sinister findings. Many years after the initial diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis, radiological investigations identified pathological changes suggestive of neoplastic development and histology confirmed IPMN. CONCLUSIONS: The cases demonstrate the ongoing challenges in diagnosing and managing IPMN effectively; highlights the important aspects of epidemiology in differentiating chronic pancreatitis and IPMN; continues the discussion surrounding the relationship between IPMN and chronic pancreatitis.

Malignant carcinoid tumor of the cystic duct: a rare cause of bile duct obstruction.

BACKGROUND: Carcinoid tumors of the extrahepatic biliary tree are extremely rare malignancies, accounting for 0.2%-2% of all gastrointestinal carcinoid tumors, while carcinoids of the cystic duct are an uncommon entity and an extremely unusual cause of bile duct obstruction. METHODS: After an extensive literature review, we retrospectively analysed 61 cases of carcinoid tumor of the biliary tree as well as one additional case of a 60-year-old female with symptoms and laboratory/imaging examination findings compatible with those of a malignant biliary tract obstruction. At laparotomy, resection of the gallbladder and common bile duct was performed. Histological study revealed a well-differentiated neuro-endocrine carcinoma of the cystic duct. The patient remained disease-free at 16 months. RESULTS: Our presentation is the seventh case reported in the world literature. Compared to cholangiocarcinoma, analysis of the reviewed group indicates an increased incidence of extrahepatic carcinoid tumors in younger persons along with a slight female predominance. Statistically, the most common anatomic location is the common bile duct, followed by the perihilar region and the cystic duct. Jaundice is the most common finding. Curative surgery was realized in the majority of cases and long-term disease-free survival was achieved when surgery was curative. CONCLUSIONS: Carcinoid tumors obstructing the biliary tree are extremely difficult to diagnose preoperatively, and nearly impossible to differentiate from non-neuroendocrine tumors. As surgery offers the only potential cure for both biliary carcinoids and cholangiocarcinoma, we recommend aggressive surgical therapy as the treatment of choice in every case of potentially resectable biliary tumor.

Coexistence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and c-Kit negative gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST): a case report.

A past history of sporadic solid cancers is disclosed in 10% of gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) patients. Simultaneous occurrence with other malignancies is encountered in 14 to 16%, but the synchronous occurrence of GIST and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been reported only once in the English literature. An 81-year-old male patient is presented with a preoperatively known HCC, in whom a synchronous small nodular omental GIST adjacent to the lesser curvature of the stomach was incidentally discovered. When a GIST is encountered, a thorough intraoperative investigation of the abdominal cavity currently remains the only reliable method for detection of a possible coexisting malignancy.

Radio frequency ablation (RFA)-assisted pericystectomy for hepatic echinococcosis: an alternative technique.

The aim of this study is to describe an alternative technique, using radio frequency energy to perform pericystectomy for hepatic echinococcosis. We present 3 patients with hepatic echinococcosis who were treated with radio frequency ablation (RFA)-assisted pericystectomy. A Radionics Cooltip Radio Frequency System (Tyco, Greece, Radionics) with a single shaft 15 cm long needle electrode and a 2 cm exposure tip, was used. The needle electrode was inserted in consecutive sites into the "healthy" hepatic parenchyma close to the cyst wall, so that a tissue zone around the cystic cavity was gradually ablated. The complete ablation of a site was followed by sharp division of the parenchyma. The operation completed successfully in all patients. Minor bleeding and/or bile leakage were successfully controlled with RFA coagulation. No other hemostatic method was used. The postoperative course was uneventful. No evidence of recurrent disease, or any other cause of morbidity, has been demonstrated at follow up (2 y). RFA-assisted pericystectomy for hepatic hydatid disease in experienced hands, might be useful to perform a "sterile" resection, eradicating single or multiple cysts and preventing local recurrence, with minimal morbidity.

Liver tissue dissection: ultrasonic or RFA energy?

BACKGROUND: Hepatic resection is the only potential curative treatment for a wide variety of conditions. However, liver surgery is technically demanding and closely associated with a number of serious complications. New devices and techniques are currently being applied in practice, which will improve the surgical outcome. METHODS: This retrospective study compares two methods of liver parenchymal division: ultrasound energy, a modern but already widely used technique, and radio-frequency ablation (RFA), a completely novel method. The parameters investigated include the amount of blood transfused, the necessity of the Pringle maneuver, the length of time required for parenchymal division, and postoperative morbidity and mortality. The patients were divided into two groups. In one group (Group A), 15 patients underwent 17 ultrasound-assisted liver resections, in which ten metastatic tumors, six hepatomas, and one cholangiocarcinoma were resected. In Group B, 21 patients underwent 22 RFA-assisted hepatectomies in which 11 metastatic tumors, ten hepatomas, and two cholangiocarcinomas were removed. RESULTS: Thirteen patients (87%) in Group A and 11 (52%) in Group B received a transfusion, with an average of 3.5 and 1.6 units of red blood cells, respectively. The Pringle maneuver was necessary in two cases in Group A but was unnecessary in Group B. The mean length of time required for parenchymal dissection was 124 min in Group A and 93.18 min in Group B. One (6.7%) and four (19%) complications were observed in Group A and B, respectively (statistically not significant). Mortality remained zero in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: RFA energy provides a novel reliable and safe alternative that can be used exclusively or as a supplement to the older techniques. Both resection time and amount of blood transfusion were reduced in the RFA group.

Unusual metastatic spread of follicular thyroid carcinoma: report of a case.

Concurrent skull and liver metastases from follicular thyroid carcinoma is a very rare event. We herein present the case of a 72-year-old woman who initially presented with a swelling in the right supraorbital region that proved to be metastasis from a well-differentiated follicular thyroid carcinoma of clear-cell type. The metastatic workup disclosed a huge liver metastasis and an additional metastasis in the left iliac fossa. The treatment of this patient included a total thyroidectomy, an excision of the skull lesion, and the administration of radioiodine therapy, as well as thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) suppression therapy. However, the course of her disease was relentless. Although well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma tends to show an excellent course, the presence of metastatic disease leads to a very dismal prognosis.