Trends of lymph node sampling and metastasis in pediatric and young adult patients with clear cell, epithelioid, and synovial sarcomas.

BACKGROUND: Clear cell sarcoma of soft tissue (CCS), epithelioid sarcoma, and synovial sarcoma are rare tumors historically identified as high risk for lymph node metastasis. This study investigates incident nodal metastasis and associated survival in children and young adults with these subtypes. PROCEDURE: Using the National Cancer Database (2004-2015), we created a retrospective cohort of 1303 patients (aged ≤25 years) who underwent local control therapy for CCS, epithelioid sarcoma, and synovial sarcoma. Kaplan-Meier curves estimated overall survival (OS) by subtype. Stratifying on subtype, Cox regressions assessed OS by lymph node sampling status and nodal metastasis. RESULTS: There were 103 (7.9%) patients with CCS, 221 (17.0%) with epithelioid sarcoma, and 979 (75.1%) with synovial sarcoma. Lymph node sampling was more frequent in patients with CCS (56.3%) and epithelioid sarcoma (52.5%) versus synovial sarcoma (20.5%, p < .001). Synovial sarcoma metastasized to lymph nodes less frequently than CCS or epithelioid sarcoma (2.1% vs. 14.6% and 14.9%, p < .001). Across all subtypes, lymph node metastasis was associated with inferior OS (HR 2.02, CI 1.38-2.95, p < .001). Lymph node sampling was associated with improved OS in CCS (HR 0.35, CI: 0.15-0.78, p = .010), inferior OS in synovial sarcoma (HR 1.60, CI: 1.13-2.25, p = .007), and no statistical association with OS in epithelioid sarcoma. CONCLUSIONS: Lymph node metastasis is rare in children and young adults with synovial sarcoma. Lymph node sampling procedures were not consistently performed for patients with CCS or epithelioid sarcoma, but improved OS supports routine lymph node sampling in children and young adults with CCS.

Laparoscopic Versus Open Surgical Repair of Duodenal Atresia: A NSQIP-Pediatric Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Laparoscopic repair of duodenal atresia in neonates has gained popularity among some pediatric surgeons. Single-center studies suggest comparable short-term outcomes to open surgery. The purpose of this study was to utilize a large, multi-institutional pediatric dataset to examine 30-day post-operative outcomes by operative approach for newborns who underwent duodenal atresia repairs. METHODS: We identified neonates aged ≤1 wk in the 2016-2018 National Surgical Quality Improvement Program-Pediatric -database that underwent a laparoscopic or open repair for duodenal atresia. Preoperative characteristics were compared between operative approaches. Postoperative complications, operative time, postoperative length of stay (LOS), and supplemental nutrition at discharge were assessed using multivariate regressions. RESULTS: There were 267 neonates who met inclusion criteria. There were 233 (87%) infants who underwent open repairs and 34 (13%) who underwent laparoscopic repairs. Ten (29%) children who had laparoscopy were converted to open. After adjusting for confounding, laparoscopy was associated with an increase in operative time by 65 min (95% confidence interval 45-87 min, P < 0.001) but a five-day shorter LOS (95% confidence interval -9 to -2, P = 0.006) when compared to laparotomy. There were no significant differences in postoperative complications or supplemental nutrition at discharge. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that laparoscopic repairs of duodenal atresia are associated with shorter postoperative LOS but longer operative times when compared to open repairs. Although the conversion rate to laparotomy remained relatively high, the laparoscopic approach was associated with comparable 30-day postoperative outcomes.

Evaluation of the Surgical Management of Achalasia in Children and Young Adults.

INTRODUCTION: Achalasia is a rare esophageal motility disorder in children and is most often treated with the Heller myotomy. This study examines the current trends in surgical management of achalasia and evaluates the safety of the Heller myotomy in children compared to the young adult population. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study of children and young adults aged ≤25 y undergoing a Heller myotomy for achalasia. Data were collected using the adult and pediatric National Surgical Quality Improvement Program databases from 2012 to 2018. Patient characteristics, comorbidities, and 30-d outcomes were evaluated. Operative details of interest included surgical specialty and the use of esophagogastroduodenoscopy and esophageal manometry. Outcomes included operative time, length of stay, reoperation, and other postoperative complications. RESULTS: A total of 178 pediatric and 202 young adult patients were included in the study. The majority of surgeries were performed laparoscopically (85.4% pediatric and 95.0% adult). Esophageal manometry was only used in pediatric cases, and esophagogastroduodenoscopy was used in 35 (19.7%) pediatric and 41 (20.3%) adult cases. Thirty-day complications occurred in 7 (3.9%) children and 3 (1.5%) adults. The median operative time for children was 174.5 min and the median length of stay (LOS) was 2 d. The median operative time for adults was 126 min and the median LOS was 1 d (P < 0.01 for both). There was a longer LOS for cases performed by pediatric surgeons (P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Heller myotomy continues to be a very safe operation for achalasia with minimal short-term morbidity.

Appendectomy and Cholecystectomy Outcomes for Pediatric Cancer Patients with Leukopenia: A NSQIP-Pediatric Study.

BACKGROUND: Children with cancer often develop leukopenia which may impair wound healing and increase surgical complication rates. When leukopenic children with cancer develop an acute surgical condition, the optimal management strategy remains unclear. This study examined the effect of preoperative leukopenia on postoperative outcomes in children with cancer who underwent an appendectomy or cholecystectomy. METHODS: We retrospectively identified cancer patients undergoing an appendectomy or cholecystectomy from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program-Pediatric database from 2012-2018. Demographics and perioperative characteristics were compared by leukopenia status (WBC <4 vs. ≥4 × 10^3/mL). Postoperative length of stay (LOS) and 30-day composite complications, including infections, reoperations, and readmissions, were analyzed for each procedure using multivariate regression. RESULTS: There were 227 children who underwent an appendectomy and 101 children who underwent a cholecystectomy. Leukopenia was seen in 93 (41.0%) appendectomy and 57 (56.4%) cholecystectomy cases. Nineteen (8.4%) appendectomy patients and six (5.9%) cholecystectomy patients developed a postoperative complication. The median postoperative LOS was 2 days (IQR 1-6 days) for appendectomy and 1 day (IQR 1-2.5 days) for cholecystectomy cases. After multivariate analyses, leukopenia was not associated with increased postoperative complications after an appendectomy (OR 0.55, P = 0.36) or cholecystectomy (OR 0.39, P = 0.37). There was no significant difference in postoperative LOS based on leukopenia status for children who underwent an appendectomy (P = 0.82) or cholecystectomy (P = 0.37). CONCLUSION: In pediatric cancer patients, leukopenia was not associated with increased short-term postoperative complications or longer postoperative LOS after either an appendectomy or cholecystectomy. These results support that operative management can be performed safely in pediatric appendicitis and cholecystitis in leukopenic cancer patients.

Socioeconomic and health care coverage disparities in children, adolescents, and young adults with sarcoma.

BACKGROUND: Socioeconomic and health care coverage disparities are established as poor prognostic markers in adults with sarcoma, but few studies examine these differences among pediatric, adolescents and young adults (AYA). This study examines the association between socioeconomic status (SES), insurance status, and disease presentation among children and AYA patients with sarcoma. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study of patients aged 0-25 years with bone or soft tissue sarcoma from the National Cancer Database. SES assignments were based on estimated median income and education level. Patient demographics and clinical factors were compared by SES and insurance status. Multivariate logistic regression models were fitted to determine adjusted odds ratios of SES and insurance status on metastatic disease or tumor size ≥5 cm at time of presentation. RESULTS: In a cohort of 9112 patients, 2932 (32.1%) had low, 2084 (22.8%) middle, and 4096 (44.9%) high SES. For insurance status, 5864 (64.3%) had private, 2737 (30.0%) public, and 511 (5.6%) were uninsured. Compared to high SES, patients with low SES were more likely to have metastatic disease (OR = 1.16, P = .03) and tumors ≥5 cm (OR = 1.29, P < .01). Compared to private insurance, public and no insurance were associated with metastatic disease (OR = 1.35, P < .01 and OR = 1.32, P = .02) and increased tumors ≥5 cm (OR = 1.28, P < .01 and OR = 1.67, P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: SES disparities exist among children and AYA patients with sarcoma. Low SES and public or no insurance are associated with advanced disease at presentation. Further studies are needed to identify interventions to improve earlier detection of sarcomas in at-risk children and young adults.