Hepatectomy for hemangioma; safe, but is it successful?

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Large hepatic hemangiomata may give rise to abdominal discomfort, prompting consultation with a hepatobiliary surgeon. The effectiveness of liver resection to treat such symptoms has varied in previously published reports. We sought to examine outcomes related to resection of hepatic hemangioma at a high-volume HPB center. METHODOLOGY: Consecutive patients between 1995-2011 undergoing resection for a hepatic hemangioma were identified. Demographic, operative, imaging, and complication-related data were collected. RESULTS: Fifty-four patients (41 female, 76%) underwent liver resection for hemangioma. Median age was 48 years (range: 25-80), and median lesion size was 8.0 cm (range: 1.6-25). Indications for resection included pain (28 patients, 52%), increasing size (9, 17%), patient anxiety (5, 9%), and inability to exclude malignancy (12, 22%). There were no perioperative deaths, and 16 patients (30%) had Clavien grade ≥II complications. Of the 28 patients with preoperative pain, 8 (28%) continued to report similar abdominal discomfort at a median follow-up of 10 months. CONCLUSIONS: Liver resection for hemangiomata can be performed safely, albeit with significant morbidity. The majority of patients,but not all, have pain relief following hepatic resection.A cautious approach should be taken when evaluating patients for hemangioma resection.

Recurrence after microwave ablation of liver malignancies: a single institution experience.

BACKGROUND: Microwave ablation (MWA) is increasingly used to achieve local control for liver tumours. This study sought to examine a monocentric experience with MWA, with a primary hypothesis that primary tumour histology was a significant predictor of early recurrence. METHODS: Retrospective single-institution review identified consecutive patients with liver tumours treated by MWA. Cox proportional hazards models assessed significance of prognostic variables. RESULTS: Seventy-two patients (43 female, 60%) underwent 83 MWA procedures for 157 tumours. Tumour histologies included hepatocellular cancer (10 operations), colorectal metastases (39), metastatic carcinoid (20) and other (14). The median tumour size was 2.0 cm. A concomitant liver resection was performed in 50 cases (60%). Crude peri-operative morbidity and mortality rates were 16% and 1%, respectively. The median follow-up was 16 months. Ablations were complete for 149 out of 157 tumours (95%). The median overall and recurrence-free survivals were 36 and 18 months, respectively. There was no difference in time to recurrence between the primary tumour types. In multivariable models, recurrence-free survival was independently associated with the use of neoadjuvant [hazard ratio (HR): 2.90, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.09-7.76, P = 0.034] and adjuvant chemotherapy (HR: 0.36, 95% CI: 0.15-0.82, P = 0.016). CONCLUSIONS: MWA is a safe and feasible approach for local control of liver tumours. While chemotherapy administration was associated with time to recurrence after MWA, larger studies are needed to corroborate these findings.

Improved survival in resected biliary malignancies.

BACKGROUND: For many years the prognosis for patients with biliary malignancies has been poor. However, recent advances in radiology and laparoscopy have improved staging, and active biliary stent management may improve outcome in these patients. In the past the goal with surgery was to excise all gross tumor. Now, the surgical goal is to achieve negative microscopic margins even if a major hepatic resection is required. Similarly, chemotherapy or radiation was frequently given in isolation, but chemoradiation has become the standard. Therefore, the aim of this analysis was to determine whether survival has improved with better staging, active stent management, more aggressive surgery, and chemoradiation. METHODS: From 1990 through 2001, 140 patients with biliary malignancies were treated at the Medical College of Wisconsin. One hundred eleven malignancies were cholangiocarcinomas (intrahepatic, 22%; perihilar, 65%; and distal, 13%), and 29 were gallbladder (GB) cancers. Eighty-six of the 140 patients (61%) underwent exploration (intrahepatic, 58%; perihilar, 57%; distal, 67%, and GB, 72%). Forty-four of these 86 patients (51%) underwent resection (intrahepatic, 64%; perihilar, 41%; distal, 70%; and GB, 52%). Chemoradiation with confocal radiation, 5-fluorouracil, and gemcitabine was used more frequently in the patients resected since 1998. RESULTS: Thirty-day operative mortality was 4%. In the resected patients (n = 44) the 5-year actuarial survival was 31% and the median survival was 27.8 months. Patients resected between 1998 and 2001 (n = 25) had a median survival longer than 44 months with a 3-year actuarial survival of 70% as compared to patients resected between 1990 and 1997 (n = 19), who had a median survival of 13 months and a 3-year actuarial survival of 21% (P <.01). CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that (1) approximately one third of patients with biliary malignancies have resectable disease and (2) surgery in carefully selected patients with adjuvant chemoradiation has improved survival in resected patients. We suspect that a combination of improved staging, active biliary stenting, safe but extensive surgery to obtain negative margins, and newer techniques for chemoradiation have resulted in improved outcomes for patients with biliary malignancies.

Defining the role of adjuvant external beam radiotherapy on resected adenocarcinoma of the ampulla of vater.

The role of adjuvant radiotherapy in the treatment of ampullary carcinoma (AC) remains unclear. We hypothesized that adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) does not improve survival following resection for AC. The SEER database was queried for patients with non-metastatic AC who underwent surgery (S) from 2004 to 2010. Propensity score (PS) modeling was applied to create balanced cohorts of patients that would be equally likely to receive RT. Cox proportional hazard models were used to compare survival. Of 1,287 patients, 329 (25.6%) received adjuvant RT. Unadjusted median overall survival (OS) for patients receiving adjuvant RT compared to S alone was 27 vs. 36 months (p = 0.14). Patients receiving RT were younger (63 vs. 69 years, p < 0.001), had more advanced tumors (69 vs. 53% T3/T4, p < 0.001), and had more frequent lymph node metastasis (73 vs. 40%, p < 0.001). Adjuvant RT failed to improve both overall survival (27 vs. 29 months, p = 0.58) and disease-specific survival (36 vs. 40 months, p = 0.92) in propensity-matched cohorts, although certain imbalances remained between treatment groups. Adjuvant RT does not confer a survival benefit for patients with ampullary tumors. The lack of disease-specific survival benefit suggests that it may also not be beneficial to prevent local recurrences.

Duplicate pancreas meets gastric duplication cyst: A tale of two anomalies.

INTRODUCTION: Congenital anomalies are a rare cause of pancreatitis in adults. Gastric duplications are the least common duplication of the gastrointestinal tract and are even more uncommon in the setting of a duplicate pancreas. PRESENTATION OF CASE: This manuscript contains a case report and review of the literature of an adult who presented with recurrent pancreatitis and was found to have a gastric duplication cyst that communicated with a duplicate pancreas. The study aim is to alert practitioners to the duplicate anomaly and recommend appropriate therapy. DISCUSSION: Combined gastric and pancreatic duplications usually occur in young females with nonspecific, recurrent abdominal pain. This combined duplication can result in pancreatitis when the gastric duplication is contiguous with the stomach. Heightened awareness of the condition, appropriate diagnostics with accurate interpretation and a minimalist approach to resection are warranted. CONCLUSION: Recurrent abdominal pain and pancreatitis in young adults devoid of risk factors should lead to consideration of congenital anomalies. Not all cysts near the pancreas and stomach are pseudocysts. ECRP and abdominal CT/MRI provide critical diagnostic information. This dual anomaly is best treated by simple excision of the gastric duplication and heterotopic pancreas.

Recent advances in systemic therapies and radiotherapy for gallbladder cancer.

Adjuvant treatment is not routine following resection for gallbladder cancer as most regimens have low response rates. In the palliative setting, recent advances have been made regarding combination chemotherapies and both gemcitabine/cisplatin and gemcitabine/oxaliplatin appear to be superior to single-agent 5FU, which has very little efficacy in this disease. There are isolated reports of dramatic responses to targeted monoclonal agents. The role of radiotherapy has recently been revisited, however, its effectiveness when patients are adequately surgically treated remains to be demonstrated.

Zollinger-Ellison syndrome associated with a history of alcohol abuse: coincidence or consequence?

BACKGROUND: This 47-year observational study suggests that sporadic Zollinger-Ellison (Z-E) syndrome, particularly duodenal wall gastrinomas (DWG), is associated with a history of alcohol abuse. METHODS: Thirty-nine consecutive Z-E patients were followed from 1962 through 2010. The drinking patterns of these patients were assessed and compared with 3,786 community controls. RESULTS: Thirty-five patients had extrapancreatic gastrinomas (34 DWG and/or paraduodenal lymph nodes, 1 antral gastrinoma). Total gastrectomy was done in 24; 9 underwent less extensive operations to remove DWG, and 2 patients had no operations. There were no deaths from tumor progression. Four patients presented with pancreatic gastrinoma (PG) and liver metastasis, all died from tumor progression. Alcohol abuse (>50 g/d) was documented in 81% of patients with DWG and/or paraduodenal lymph nodes. The drinking patterns (drinks per day) of DWG patients were significantly different: DWG vs community control-abstainers, 3% vs 24%; 1-2 drinks, 16% vs 62%; 3-5 drinks, 29% vs 12%; and ≥ 6 drinks, 52% vs 2.5% (P < .01). CONCLUSION: Alcohol abuse is strongly associated with and may be a risk factor for sporadic Z-E with extrapancreatic DWG. Liver metastases and tumor deaths were not observed in this subgroup, supporting the concept that DWG and PG are different tumor entities.

Portal vein resection.

The American Hepato-Pancreatico-Biliary Association and Society of Surgical Oncology published a consensus statement in 2009 on the subject of vein resection and reconstruction during pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD), and concluded that PD with vein resection and reconstruction is a viable option for treatment of some pancreatic adenocarcinomas. This article describes the current approaches and recent advances in the management, staging, and surgical techniques regarding portal vein resection. With proper patient selection, a detailed understanding of the anatomy of the root of mesentery, and adequate surgeon experience, vascular resection and reconstruction can be performed safely and does not impact survival duration. Isolated venous involvement is not a contraindication to PD when performed by experienced surgeons at high-volume centers as part of a multidisciplinary and multimodal approach to localized pancreatic cancer.

Hepatic neuroendocrine metastases: chemo- or bland embolization?

INTRODUCTION: Aggressive management of hepatic neuroendocrine (NE) metastases improves symptoms and prolongs survival. Because of the rarity of these tumors, however, the best method for hepatic artery embolization has not been established. We hypothesized that in patients with hepatic NE metastases, hepatic artery chemoembolization (HACE) would result in better symptom improvement and survival compared to bland embolization (HAE). METHODS: Retrospective review identified all patients with NE hepatic metastases managed by HACE or HAE at three institutions from January 1996 through December 2007. RESULTS: We identified 100 patients managed by HACE (n = 49) or HAE (n = 51) that were similar with respect to age, gender, and primary tumor type. The percentage of patients experiencing morbidity, 30-day mortality, and symptom improvement were similar between the two groups (HACE vs. HAE: 2.4% vs. 6.6%; 0.8% vs. 1.8%; and 88% vs. 83%, respectively.) No differences in the median overall survival were observed between HACE and HAE from the time of the first embolization procedure (25.5 vs. 25.7 months, p = 0.79). Multivariate analysis revealed that resection of the primary tumor predicted survival (73.8 vs. 19.4 months, p < 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that morbidity, mortality, symptom improvement, and overall survival are similar in patients with hepatic neuroendocrine metastases managed by chemo- or bland hepatic artery embolization.

Chemoembolization in patients at high risk: results and complications.

PURPOSE: Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) has become a standard treatment option for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and is often used to palliate hepatic metastases. Many patients who are candidates for TACE present with poor hepatic reserve, advanced tumor stage with major portal vein (PV) invasion or thrombosis, and/or biliary dilation. These factors have been associated with a poor prognosis and increased complications after chemoembolization. Accordingly, these patients are classified as being at high risk and may not be considered for therapy. The aim of this study is to evaluate the results of TACE in these patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Over a period of 5 years, 141 patients underwent 355 TACE procedures. Thirty-six patients (26%) were in the high-risk group as a result of major PV thrombosis, increased serum bilirubin level (>2 mg/dL), and/or intrahepatic biliary dilation. HCC was the underlying tumor in 60% of patients. Thirty-seven percent of patients had Child-Pugh class B/C disease. Patients in the high-risk group received more selective embolization with fewer particles and fewer procedures (2.0 vs 2.7; P < .04). RESULTS: Patients in the high-risk group were more likely to have HCC (83% vs 51%; P < .01) and were also more likely to have advanced disease according to Child-Pugh classification versus patients in the low-risk group (49% vs 20%; P < .01). The overall complication rate was 4.3%, with no significant difference in complication rate between groups (3.2% vs 8.2%; P = .12). The overall 30-day mortality rate was 2.3%, and no significant difference in 30-day mortality rate was observed between the high- and low-risk groups (5.5% vs 1.4%; P = .11). A trend toward increased survival in the low-risk group did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that patients with advanced disease and decreased hepatic reserve who are treated with TACE exhibit no significant increase in morbidity or mortality and no significant decrease in survival. With variations in technique, TACE can be performed safely in patients with the relative risk factors that may classify them in high-risk groups.

Bland embolization of telangiectatic subtype of hepatic focal nodular hyperplasia.

Focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) is a common benign liver tumor that is usually treated conservatively. This report describes a histologic subtype of FNH that is more likely to be symptomatic as a result of hemorrhage and necrosis. The patient in this case was treated initially with surgical resection for multiple focal nodular hyperplasias and subsequently with bland embolization of an unresectable, symptomatic lesion.

Neuroendocrine hepatic metastases: does aggressive management improve survival?

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine whether aggressive management of neuroendocrine hepatic metastases improves survival. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Survival in patients with carcinoid and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors is significantly better than adenocarcinomas arising from the same organs. However, survival and quality of life are diminished in patients with neuroendocrine hepatic metastases. In recent years, aggressive treatment of hepatic neuroendocrine tumors has been shown to relieve symptoms. Minimal data are available, however, to document improved survival with this approach. METHODS: The records of patients with carcinoid (n = 84) and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (n = 69) managed at our institution from January 1990 through July 2004 were reviewed. Eighty-four patients had malignant tumors, and hepatic metastases were present in 60 of these patients. Of these 60 patients, 23 received no aggressive treatment of their liver metastases, 19 were treated with hepatic resection and/or ablation, and 18 were managed with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) frequently (n = 11) in addition to resection and/or ablation. These groups did not differ with respect to age, gender, tumor type, or extent of liver involvement. RESULTS: Median and 5-year survival were 20 months and 25% for the Nonaggressive group, >96 months and 72% for the Resection/Ablation group, and 50 months and 50% for the TACE group. The survival for the Resection/Ablation and the TACE groups was significantly better (P < 0.05) when compared with the Nonaggressive group. Patients with more than 50% liver involvement had a poor outcome (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that aggressive management of neuroendocrine hepatic metastases does improve survival, that chemoembolization increases the patient population eligible for this strategy, and that patients with more than 50% liver involvement may not benefit from an aggressive approach.