Therapeutic value of lymph node dissection for Siewert type II and III adenocarcinoma: meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Adenocarcinoma of the oesophagogastric junction presents an increasing incidence. Surgical resection with lymphadenectomy is the only curative treatment modality at the present time, but the optimal extent of lymphadenectomy is debatable. The aim of the present meta-analysis was to estimate the therapeutic value of each nodal station. METHODS: Studies reporting the therapeutic value index of each nodal station in Siewert types II/III oesophagogastric junction (EGJ) were searched in PubMed, Web of Science and Embase up to October 2022. This index was calculated by multiplication of metastatic incidence and 5-year overall survival rate at each nodal station. Risk of bias was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist for Prevalence Studies. Pooled metastatic incidence and therapeutic value index were calculated using RevMan 5.4. RESULTS: Twelve studies involving 3513 patients were included. Nodes No. 3, 1, 7 and 2 were routinely dissected and achieved a high (≥10) or moderate (5-10) therapeutic value index in decreasing order, due to their high metastatic incidence and favourable survival rate. The index was relatively low (2-5) in suprapancreatic nodes No. 9, 11p and 8a. The index for nodes No. 4d and 10 was relatively low in Siewert type Ⅲ EGJ but very low (<2) in type Ⅱ. The index was very low for nodes No. 5, 6, 11d and 12a, due to their low metastatic incidence and poor survival if positive. Para-aortic, parahiatal and mediastinal nodes were dissected only in highly selected cases. Dissection of the lower mediastinal nodes, especially No. 110, could improve survival rates in type Ⅱ EGJ. CONCLUSION: These data could help assess the optimal extent of lymphadenectomy for EGJ. Nodes No. 1, 2, 3, 7, 8a, 9 and 11p need routine dissection in both Siewert types Ⅱ/Ⅲ EGJ; nodes around the lower oesophagus (especially No. 110) in Siewert type Ⅱ EGJ and nodes No. 4d and 10 in Siewert type Ⅲ EGJ might be considered for dissection.

Platelet activation is upregulated in cirrhotic patients with portal vein thrombosis.

OBJECTIVE: The alteration of platelet function plays a key role in thrombosis formation. This study aimed to explore platelet function alterations in the formation of portal vein thrombosis (PVT) in cirrhosis. METHODS: Cirrhotic patients admitted to hospital between October 2021 and April 2023 were recruited and divided into PVT and non-PVT groups. Flow cytometry was used to detect the expression of CD62p, CD63, monocyte-platelet aggregates (MPAs), neutrophil-platelet aggregates (NPAs) and vWF-Ag to evaluate platelet activation and adhesion function. RESULTS: A total of 145 subjects were enrolled in our study including 60 cirrhotic PVT patients, 60 cirrhotic non-PVT patients and 25 healthy volunteers. The expression of CD41+CD62p+ and CD41+CD63+ platelets in the PVT group was significantly elevated compared with that in the non-PVT group(P＜0.05). Subgroup analysis showed that the mean fluorescent intensity (MFI) of CD62p and CD63 was associated with portal hypertension-related complications (P＜0.05), and CD63 MFI was significantly associated with thrombosis burden (P=0.019). CD41+CD62p+ and CD41+CD63+ platelets as well as MPAs and NPAs were highly expressed in the splenectomy group (P＜0.05). Positive correlations were found between CD62p and CD63 MFI, MPAs and NPAs(P＜0.05). In addition, platelet counts were also correlated with MPAs (r=0.556, P＜0.001) and NPAs (r=0.467, P＜0.001). Cirrhotic patients with PVT had higher mortality and were more likely to experience portal hypertension-related complications (P＜0.05). CONCLUSION: Highly activated platelet function exists in patients with cirrhosis, and platelet activation was elevated during PVT formation, suggesting that activated platelets may participate in the formation of PVT in patients with cirrhosis.

Nomogram for Predicting Portal Vein Thrombosis in Cirrhotic Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

AIM: Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) is a common complication in cirrhotic patients and will aggravate portal hypertension, thus leading to a series of severe complications. The aim of this study was to develop a nomogram based on a simple and effective model to predict PVT in cirrhotic patients. METHODS: Clinical data of 656 cirrhotic patients with or without PVT in the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University and The Third Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University from January 2017 to March 2022 were retrospectively collected, and all patients were divided into training, internal and external validation cohorts. SPSS and R software were used to identify the independent risk factors and construct a predictive model. We evaluated the predictive value of the model by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, calibration curve, and decision curve analyses. The feasibility of the model was further validated in the internal and external cohorts. All enrolled patients were followed up to construct the survival curves and calculate the incidence of complications. RESULTS: The predictors of PVT included serum albumin, D-dimer, portal vein diameter, splenectomy, and esophageal and gastric varices. Based on the clinical and imaging findings, the final model served as a potential tool for predicting PVT in cirrhotic patients, with an AUC of 0.806 (0.766 in the internal validation cohort and 0.845 in the external validation cohort). The decision curve analysis revealed that the model had a high level of concordance between different medical centers. There was a significant difference between the PVT and non-PVT groups in survival analyses, with p values of 0.0477 and 0.0319 in the training and internal validation groups, respectively, along with p value of 0.0002 in the external validation group according to log-rank test; meanwhile, the median survival times of the PVT group were 54, 43, and 40 months, respectively. The incidence of recurrent esophageal and gastric variceal bleeding (EGVB) during the follow-up showed significant differences among the three cohorts (p = 0.009, 0.048, and 0.001 in the training, internal validation, and external validation cohorts, respectively). CONCLUSION: The nomogram based on our model provides a simple and convenient method for predicting PVT in cirrhotic patients. Cirrhotic patients with PVT had a shorter survival time and were prone to recurrent EGVB compared with those in the non-PVT group.

Incidence of lymph node metastasis at each station in Siewert types â ¡/â ¢ adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

The optimal extent of lymphadenectomy for adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction (AEG) has been continuously debatable. The study aimed to determine the incidence of lymph node metastasis at each station in Siewert types Ⅱ/Ⅲ AEG. PubMed was searched and publications reporting metastasis at each nodal station were eligible. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3. Twenty-one studies involving 4662 patients were included. The incidence of lymph node metastasis was high (≥20%) in stations No. 3, 1, 2 and 7 in decreasing order, and moderate (10-20%) in stations No. 9, 19 and 110. The incidence did not exceed 10% in stations No. 10, 11p, 20, 8a, 4sa, 4 s b and 4d, was less than 5% in stations No. 5, 6, 11d, 12a, and even close to 0 in stations No. 107, 111 and 112. Compared with type Ⅲ tumors, type Ⅱ tumors had significantly lower incidence in some abdominal stations including No. 3, 4sa, 4 s b, 6, 8a and 10, while significantly higher in the lower mediastinal stations. The present analysis established a map of lymph node metastasis in Siewert types Ⅱ/Ⅲ AEG, which may serve as a valuable reference for the extent of lymphadenectomy.