Repeated pancreatic resection for pancreatic metastases from renal cell Carcinoma: A Spanish multicenter study (PANMEKID).

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Recurrent isolated pancreatic metastasis from Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC) after pancreatic resection is rare. The purpose of our study is to describe a series of cases of relapse of pancreatic metastasis from renal cancer in the pancreatic remnant and its surgical treatment with a repeated pancreatic resection, and to analyse the results of both overall and disease-free survival. METHODS: Multicenter retrospective study of patients undergoing pancreatic resection for RCC pancreatic metastases, from January 2010 to May 2020. Patients were grouped into two groups depending on whether they received a single pancreatic resection (SPS) or iterative pancreatic resection. Data on short and long-term outcome after pancreatic resection were collected. RESULTS: The study included 131 pancreatic resections performed in 116 patients. Thus, iterative pancreatic surgery (IPS) was performed in 15 patients. The mean length of time between the first pancreatic surgery and the second was 48.9 months (95 % CI: 22.2-56.9). There were no differences in the rate of postoperative complications. The DFS rates at 1, 3 and 5 years were 86 %, 78 % and 78 % vs 75 %, 50 % and 37 % in the IPS and SPS group respectively (p = 0.179). OS rates at 1, 3, 5 and 7 years were 100 %, 100 %, 100 % and 75 % in the IPS group vs 95 %, 85 %, 80 % and 68 % in the SPS group (p = 0.895). CONCLUSION: Repeated pancreatic resection in case of relapse of pancreatic metastasis of RCC in the pancreatic remnant is justified, since it achieves OS results similar to those obtained after the first resection.

Pancreatic mucinous cystic neoplasms located in the distal pancreas: a multicenter study.

Background: Mucinous cysts of the pancreas (MCN) are infrequent, usually unilocular tumors which occur in postmenopausal women and are located in the pancreatic body/tail. The risk of malignancy is low. The objective is to define preoperative risk factors of malignancy in pancreatic MCN and to assess the feasibility of the laparoscopic approach. Methods: Retrospective multicenter observational study of prospectively recorded data regarding distal pancreatectomies was carried out at seven hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) Units between 01/01/08 and 31/12/18 (the ERPANDIS Project). Results: Four hundred and forty-four distal pancreatectomies were recorded including 47 MCN (10.6%). Thirty-five were non-invasive tumors (74.5%). In all, 93% of patients were female, and 60% were ASA (American Society of Anaesthesiology) II. The mean preoperative size was 46 mm. Patients with invasive tumors were older (54 vs. 63 years). Invasive tumors were larger (6 vs. 4 cm), although the difference was not significant (P=0.287). Sixty percent was operated via laparoscopic approach, which was used in 74.6% of non-invasive tumors and in 16.7% of the invasive ones. The spleen was not preserved in 93.6% of the patients. R0 resection was obtained in all patients. Two patients with invasive tumors died. Conclusions: In our surgical series of MCN, patients with malignancy were older and presented larger tumors, although the difference was not statistically significant. Laparoscopy is a safe and feasible approach for MCN. Prospective studies are now needed to define risk factors that can guide the decision whether to administer conservative treatment or to operate.

Pancreatic metastases from renal cell carcinoma. Postoperative outcome after surgical treatment in a Spanish multicenter study (PANMEKID).

BACKGROUND: Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC) occasionally spreads to the pancreas. The purpose of our study is to evaluate the short and long-term results of a multicenter series in order to determine the effect of surgical treatment on the prognosis of these patients. METHODS: Multicenter retrospective study of patients undergoing surgery for RCC pancreatic metastases, from January 2010 to May 2020. Variables related to the primary tumor, demographics, clinical characteristics of metastasis, location in the pancreas, type of pancreatic resection performed and data on short and long-term evolution after pancreatic resection were collected. RESULTS: The study included 116 patients. The mean time between nephrectomy and pancreatic metastases' resection was 87.35 months (ICR: 1.51-332.55). Distal pancreatectomy was the most performed technique employed (50 %). Postoperative morbidity was observed in 60.9 % of cases (Clavien-Dindo greater than IIIa in 14 %). The median follow-up time was 43 months (13-78). Overall survival (OS) rates at 1, 3, and 5 years were 96 %, 88 %, and 83 %, respectively. The disease-free survival (DFS) rate at 1, 3, and 5 years was 73 %, 49 %, and 35 %, respectively. Significant prognostic factors of relapse were a disease free interval of less than 10 years (2.05 [1.13-3.72], p 0.02) and a history of previous extrapancreatic metastasis (2.44 [1.22-4.86], p 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Pancreatic resection if metastatic RCC is found in the pancreas is warranted to achieve higher overall survival and disease-free survival, even if extrapancreatic metastases were previously removed. The existence of intrapancreatic multifocal compromise does not always warrant the performance of a total pancreatectomy in order to improve survival.

Comparison of phenotypes and outcomes following resection of incidental versus symptomatic pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: fifty to 70 percent of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors are diagnosed incidentally. The objective of this study was to compare the phenotype and oncological outcomes of incidental versus symptomatic pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. METHODS: a retrospective study was performed, identifying all incidental and symptomatic tumors resected between 2000 and 2019. Baseline characteristics, symptoms, operative variables and pathological stage were all recorded. Patterns of recurrence and overall and disease-free survival were analyzed in both groups. RESULTS: fifty-one incidental and 45 symptomatic pancreatic tumor resections were performed. Symptomatic tumors were more frequent in females (29 vs 17; p = 0.005) and younger patients (median years; 50 vs 58; p = 0.012) and were detected at a more advanced stage (p = 0.027). There were no differences in location and most resections (n = 49; 51 %) were performed laparoscopically. There were no operative mortalities and 17 (17.7 %) severe complications (≥ IIIb on the Clavien-Dindo classification) were recorded with no differences between the two groups. With a median follow-up of 64.4 months (range 13.5-90), overall survival at five and ten years was 89.7 % and 72.8 % for the non-incidental tumors and 80.9 % and 54.6 % for the incidental tumors (p = ns), respectively. Disease-free survival in both groups (excluding M1a) was 71.2 % and 47.5 %, and 93.7 % and 78.1 %, respectively (p = ns). CONCLUSIONS: symptomatic tumors are more frequent in females and present at more advanced pathological stages. There were no significant differences in overall and disease-free survival between the two groups. Resection of incidental tumors ≥ 1.5-2 cm seems advisable, although each case should be assessed on an individual basis.

Severe colon ischemia in patients with severe coronavirus-19 (COVID-19).

COVID-19 is associated with severe coagulopathy. We present three cases of colonic ischemia that can be attributed to the hypercoagulable state related with SARS-CoV2 and disseminated intravascular coagulation. Three males aged 76, 68 and 56 with respiratory distress presented episodes of rectal bleeding, abdominal distension and signs of peritoneal irritation. Endoscopy (case 1) and computed tomography angiography revealed colonic ischemia. One patient (case 2) in which a computed tomography (CT) scan showed perforation of the gangrenous cecum underwent surgery. D-dimer levels were markedly increased (2,170, 2,100 and 7,360 ng/ml) in all three patients. All three patients died shortly after diagnosis.

Distal pancreatectomy with multivisceral resection: A retrospective multicenter study - Case series.

BACKGROUND: Multivisceral resection (MVR) is sometimes necessary to achieve disease-free margins in cancer surgery. In certain patients with pancreatic tumors that invade neighboring organs these must be removed to perform an appropriate oncological surgery. In addition, there is an increasing need to perform resections of other organs like liver not directly invaded by the tumor but which require synchronous removal. The results of MVR in pancreatic surgery are controversial. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A distal pancreatectomy retrospective multicenter observational study using prospectively compiled data carried out at seven HPB Units. The period study was January 2008 to December 2018. We excluded DP with celiac trunk resection. RESULTS: 435 DP were performed. In 62 (14.25%) an extra organ was resected (82 organs). Comparison of the preoperative data of MVR and non-MVR patients showed that patients with MVR had lower BMI, higher ASA and larger tumor size. In the MVR group, the approach was mostly laparotomic and spleen preservation was performed only in 8% of the cases, Blood loss and the percentage of intraoperative transfusion were higher in MVR group. Major morbidity rates (Clavien > IIIa) and mortality (0.8vs.4.8%) were higher in the MVR group. Pancreatic fistula rates were practically the same in both groups. Mean hospital stay was twice as long in the MVR group and the readmission rate was higher in the MVR group. Histology study confirmed a much higher rate of malignant tumors in MVR group. CONCLUSIONS: In order to obtain free margins or treat pathologies in several organs we think that DP + MVR is a feasible technique in selected patients; the results obtained are not as good as those of DP without MVR but are acceptable nonetheless. CLINICALTRIALS. GOV IDENTIFIER: NCT04317352.

Outcome quality standards for surgery of colorectal liver metastasis.

PURPOSE: Liver metastases are the most common malignant solid liver lesions, approximately 40% of which stem from colorectal tumors. Liver resection is currently the only curative treatment for colorectal cancer liver metastases (CRLM). However, there is a lack of consensus criteria to assess the results of this treatment. In order to evaluate the quality of surgical outcomes, it is necessary to identify quality indicators (QIs) and their corresponding quality standards (QS). We propose a simple method to determine QI and QS in CRLM surgery (CRLMS) and establish acceptable quality limits (AQL) for each QI. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A systematic review of CRLMS results published from 2006 to 2016. Clinical guidelines, consensus conferences, and publications related to the CRLMS were reviewed to identify and select QIs. Once selected, a new review of the papers including the results of at least one of the QIs was performed. Statistical process control (SPC) method was applied to calculate the QS and AQL of each QI. The limits of variability were established from mean and confidence intervals at 95% and 99.8%. RESULTS: The most relevant QIs and its AQLs were postoperative mortality (2%, < 4.5%), overall postoperative morbidity (33%, < 41%), liver failure (5%, < 8%), postoperative hemorrhage (1%, < 3%), biliary fistula (6%, < 10%), reoperation (3%, < 6%), R1 resection margins (18%, < 25%), and overall survival at 12 and 60 months (84%, > 77%; and 34%, > 25%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Despite its limitations, the present study constitutes the most extensive scientific evidence to date on QI and AQL in CRLMS and may constitute a reference in future studies.

Use of Machine-Learning Algorithms in Intensified Preoperative Therapy of Pancreatic Cancer to Predict Individual Risk of Relapse.

BACKGROUND: Although surgical resection is the only potentially curative treatment for pancreatic cancer (PC), long-term outcomes of this treatment remain poor. The aim of this study is to describe the feasibility of a neoadjuvant treatment with induction polychemotherapy (IPCT) followed by chemoradiation (CRT) in resectable PC, and to develop a machine-learning algorithm to predict risk of relapse. METHODS: Forty patients with resectable PC treated in our institution with IPCT (based on mFOLFOXIRI, GEMOX or GEMOXEL) followed by CRT (50 Gy and concurrent Capecitabine) were retrospectively analyzed. Additionally, clinical, pathological and analytical data were collected in order to perform a 2-year relapse-risk predictive population model using machine-learning techniques. RESULTS: A R0 resection was achieved in 90% of the patients. After a median follow-up of 33.5 months, median progression-free survival (PFS) was 18 months and median overall survival (OS) was 39 months. The 3 and 5-year actuarial PFS were 43.8% and 32.3%, respectively. The 3 and 5-year actuarial OS were 51.5% and 34.8%, respectively. Forty-percent of grade 3-4 IPCT toxicity, and 29.7% of grade 3 CRT toxicity were reported. Considering the use of granulocyte colony-stimulating factors, the number of resected lymph nodes, the presence of perineural invasion and the surgical margin status, a logistic regression algorithm predicted the individual 2-year relapse-risk with an accuracy of 0.71 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.56-0.84, p = 0.005). The model-predicted outcome matched 64% of the observed outcomes in an external dataset. CONCLUSION: An intensified multimodal neoadjuvant approach (IPCT + CRT) in resectable PC is feasible, with an encouraging long-term outcome. Machine-learning algorithms might be a useful tool to predict individual risk of relapse. A small sample size and therapy heterogeneity remain as potential limitations.

Risk factors and impact of portal vein thrombosis in liver transplantation.

INTRODUCTION: portal vein thrombosis is a relatively common complication of advanced cirrhosis that increases perioperative risk in liver transplant recipients. This condition was characterized in a cohort of patients, including risk factors and their influence on survival. MATERIAL AND METHODS: a retrospective study of liver transplant recipients at the Clínica Universidad de Navarra was performed between 2000 and 2015. Differences in clinical and biological characteristics and survival were analyzed in subjects with and without portal vein thrombosis. A predictive index was also developed. RESULTS: a total of 288 patients were included in the study, portal vein thrombosis was recorded in 46 (16%) cases and seven (15.2%) had stage 3/4 disease according to Yerdel's classification. Factors associated with the presence of esophageal/gastric varices (OR = 3.7; p = 0.03) included variceal ligation or sclerotherapy (OR = 2.3; p = 0.01), being overweight/obesity (OR = 2.1; p = 0.04) and thrombocytopenia (OR = 3.6; p = 0.04). There were no significant differences between the groups with and without portal vein thrombosis in terms of survival according to Kaplan-Meier curve analysis (p = 0.7). However, the mortality rate was higher for Yerdel stages 3-4 (p < 0.01). A predictive index was developed that included varices, body mass index (BMI), thrombocytopenia and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT). This index had a sensitivity of 76.1% and a specificity of 53.7% for the development of portal thrombosis. CONCLUSIONS: the presence of esophageal/gastric varices, variceal ligation/sclerotherapy, thrombocytopenia and being overweight/obesity was associated with a higher rate of portal vein thrombosis. Advanced stages had an impact on survival.

[Experience of a cephalic pancreatoduodenectomy fast-track program]. / Experiencia de un programa de fast-track en la duodenopancreatectomía cefálica.

INTRODUCTION: Fast-track surgery has been proposed as a valid method in pancreatic surgery. Although morbidity and mortality has improved in the last decade, the prevalence of postoperative complications is still high. The aim of this study is to analyse the results of a programme of Fast-track surgery in this context. RESULTS: A total of 82 patients who underwent a cephalic pancreatoduodenectomy with a programme of early recovery after surgery, were analysed. There were 53 men, with a median age of 63 years old. The median hospital stay was 9 days, with 14.6% of readmissions. The Clavien-DeOliveira Classification was applied to evaluate the severity of postoperative complications. The overall morbidity was 47.6%. The most common complications were general, followed by infection of surgical wound and cardiopulmonary events. Taking into account that a surgical drain was used in 32% of patients, the prevalence of pancreatic fistula was 8.5%, and were classified in the most severity grades (III, IV and V). The postoperative mortality was 4.9%. The associated surgery was a risk factor of mortality. CONCLUSIONS: The Fast-track programme after pancreatoduodenectomy in high volume centres is a safe and effective method, that can improve the morbidty and mortality results.

[Central pancreatectomy in benign tumors of the neck of the pancreas]. / Pancreatectomía central en tumores benignos del cuello del páncreas.

The surgical treatment of benign tumors of the neck of the pancreas usually consists of enucleation or formal pancreatectomy. Central pancreatectomy has been put forward because it has fewer major complications and can preserve endocrine and exocrine function. Between January 1999 and march 2003, three patients with benign tumors of the neck of the pancreas underwent central pancreatectomy. all patients underwent computed tomography scans, intraoperative ultrasound and frozen-section analysis. pathologic examination showed two mucinous cystadenomas and one serous cystadenoma. after a mean follow-up of 34 months, none of the patients has shown major complications or local recurrence, or has developed diabetes. In conclusion, central pancreatectomy is a useful technique for selected benign or low-grade malignant pancreatic tumors of the neck of the pancreas.