Long-term follow-up of branch-duct intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms with No change in first 5 Years of diagnosis.

BACKGROUND: Discontinuation of branch-duct intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (BD-IPMN) surveillance after 5 years of no change remains controversial. Long-term outcomes of BD-IPMN without significant changes in the first 5 years were evaluated. METHODS: We performed a multi-center retrospective analysis of patients with BD-IPMN diagnosis from 2005 to 2011 (follow-up until 2017). Significant changes were defined as pancreatic cancer (PC), pancreatectomy, high-risk stigmata (HRS), worrisome features (WF) and worrisome EUS features (WEUS). RESULTS: Of 982 patients who had no significant changes, 5 (0.5%), 7 (0.7%), 99 (10.1%), 4 (0.4%) patients developed PC, HRS, WF, WEUS, respectively, post-5 years. PC and HRS/WF/WEUS incidences at 12 years were 1.0% and 29.0%, respectively. Patients that developed HRS/WF/WEUS had larger cyst size in first 5 years compared to those that did not [16 (12-23) vs. 12 (9-17) mm, p = 0.0001], cyst size of >15 mm having higher cumulative incidence of HRS/WF/WEUS. PC mortality was 0.8%; all-cause mortality was 32%. Incidence of mortality due to PC was higher in HRS/WF/WEUS group, p < 0.0001. The mortality rate at 12 years for ACCI (age-adjusted Charlson Comorbidity Index) of ≤3, 4-6, and ≥7 were 3.5%, 19.9%, and 57.6% (p < 0.0001), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Incidence of PC in patients with BD-IPMN without significant changes in first 5 years of diagnosis remains low at 1.0%. Incidence of HRS/WF/WEUS was higher at 29.0%. PC-related mortality was higher in HRS/WF/WEUS group. These risks should be weighed against patients' overall mortality (utilizing scoring systems such as ACCI) when making surveillance decision of BD-IPMN beyond 5 years.

The effect of prophylactic hemoclips on the risk of delayed post-endoscopic mucosal resection bleed for upper and lower gastrointestinal lesions: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) is a minimally invasive procedure used for the treatment of lesions in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. There is increased usage of hemoclips during EMR for the prevention of delayed bleeding. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of hemoclips in the prevention of delayed bleeding after EMR of upper and lower GI tract lesions. METHOD: This is a retrospective cohort study using the Kaiser Permanente Southern California (KPSC) EMR registry. Lesions in upper and lower GI tracts that underwent EMR between January 2012 and December 2015 were analyzed. Rates of delayed bleeding were compared between the hemoclip and no-hemoclip groups. Analysis was stratified by upper GI and lower GI lesions. Lower GI group was further stratified by right and left colon. We examined the relationship between clip use and several clinically-relevant variables among the patients who exhibited delayed bleeding. Furthermore, we explored possible procedure-level and endoscopist-level characteristics that may be associated with clip usage. RESULTS: A total of 18 out of 657 lesions (2.7%) resulted in delayed bleeding: 7 (1.1%) in hemoclip group and 11 (1.7%) in no-hemoclip group (p = 0.204). There was no evidence that clip use moderated the effects of the lesion size (p = 0.954) or lesion location (p = 0.997) on the likelihood of delayed bleed. In the lower GI subgroup, clip application did not alter the effect of polyp location (right versus left colon) on the likelihood of delayed bleed (p = 0.951). Logistic regression analyses showed that the clip use did not modify the likelihood of delayed bleeding as related to the following variables: use of aspirin/NSAIDs/anti-coagulants/anti-platelets, pathologic diagnoses (including different types of colon polypoid lesions), ablation, piecemeal resection. The total number of clips used was 901 at a minimum additional cost of $173,893. CONCLUSION: Prophylactic hemoclip application did not reduce delayed post-EMR bleed for upper and lower GI lesions in this retrospective study performed in a large-scale community practice setting. Routine prophylactic hemoclip application during EMR may lead to significantly higher healthcare cost without a clear clinical benefit.

Low Rates of Malignancy and Mortality in Asymptomatic Patients With Suspected Neoplastic Pancreatic Cysts Beyond 5 Years of Surveillance.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The 2015 American Gastroenterological Association guidelines recommend discontinuation of surveillance of pancreatic cysts after 5 years, although there are limited data to support this recommendation. We aimed to determine the rate of pancreatic cancer development from neoplastic pancreatic cysts after 5 years of surveillance. METHODS: We performed a retrospective multicenter study, collecting data from 310 patients with asymptomatic suspected neoplastic pancreatic cysts, identified by endoscopic ultrasound from January 2002 to June 2010 at 4 medical centers in California. All patients were followed up for 5 years or more (median, 87 mo; range, 60-189 mo). Data were used to calculate the risk for pancreatic cancer and all-cause mortality. RESULTS: Three patients (1%) developed invasive pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Based on American Gastroenterological Association high-risk features (cyst size > 3 cm, dilated pancreatic duct, mural nodule), risks for cancer were 0%, 1%, and 15% for patients with 0, 1, or 2 high-risk features, respectively. Mortality from nonpancreatic causes was 8-fold higher than mortality from pancreatic cancer after more than 5 years of surveillance. CONCLUSIONS: There is a very low risk of malignant transformation of asymptomatic neoplastic pancreatic cysts after 5 years. Patients with pancreatic lesions and 0 or 1 high-risk feature have a less than 1% risk of developing pancreatic cancer, therefore discontinuation of surveillance can be considered for select patients. Patients with neoplastic pancreatic cysts with 2 high-risk features have a 15% risk of subsequent pancreatic cancer, therefore surgery or continued surveillance should be considered.

Pancreatic cysts suspected to be branch duct intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm without concerning features have low risk for development of pancreatic cancer.

BACKGROUND: The risk of developing pancreatic cancer is uncertain in patients with clinically suspected branch duct intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (BD-IPMN) based on the "high-risk stigmata" or "worrisome features" criteria proposed in the 2012 international consensus guidelines ("Fukuoka criteria"). METHODS: Retrospective case series involving patients referred for endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) of indeterminate pancreatic cysts with clinical and EUS features consistent with BD-IPMN. Rates of pancreatic cancer occurring at any location in the pancreas were compared between groups of patients with one or more Fukuoka criteria ("Highest-Risk Group", HRG) and those without these criteria ("Lowest-Risk Group", LRG). RESULTS: After exclusions, 661 patients comprised the final cohort (250 HRG and 411 LRG patients), 62% female with an average age of 67 years and 4 years of follow up. Pancreatic cancer, primarily adenocarcinoma, occurred in 60 patients (59 HRG, 1 LRG). Prevalent cancers diagnosed during EUS, immediate surgery, or first year of follow up were found in 48/661 (7.3%) of cohort and exclusively in HRG (33/77, 42.3%). Using Kaplan-Meier method, the cumulative incidence of cancer at 7 years was 28% in HRG and 1.2% in LRG patients (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study supports using Fukuoka criteria to stratify the immediate and long-term risks of pancreatic cancer in presumptive BD-IPMN. The risk of pancreatic cancer was highest during the first year and occurred exclusively in those with "high-risk stigmata" or "worrisome features" criteria. After the first year all BD-IPMN continued to have a low but persistent cancer risk.

Brunner's gland hamartoma: a rare cause of gastrointestinal bleeding -- case report and review of the literature.

An unusual cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding is described in a previously healthy 45-year-old man who was admitted to hospital with weakness and fatigue, and had experienced an episode of melena two days before admission. His medical and surgical history was unremarkable. Upon admission to hospital, he showed evidence of iron-deficiency anemia, with a hemoglobin concentration of 61 g/L (normal range 135 to 175 g/L), a mean corpuscular volume of 73 fL (normal range 85.0 to 95.0 fL) and a ferritin concentration of 1.0 microg/L (normal range in males 15 to 400 microg/L). Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed a 3.5 cm ulcerated submucosal mass in the third portion of the duodenum, for which mucosal biopsies were nondiagnostic. A subsequent endoscopic ultrasound revealed a 2.7 x 4.0 cm hyperechoic, cystic, submucosal tumour in the third portion of the duodenum. Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration revealed no malignant cells. The patient eventually underwent a resection of the third portion of his duodenum. Surgical pathology revealed that this tumour was a Brunner's gland hamartoma, 4.5 cm in its greatest dimension.

More quality measures versus measuring what matters: a call for balance and parsimony.

External groups requiring measures now include public and private payers, regulators, accreditors and others that certify performance levels for consumers, patients and payers. Although benefits have accrued from the growth in quality measurement, the recent explosion in the number of measures threatens to shift resources from improving quality to cover a plethora of quality-performance metrics that may have a limited impact on the things that patients and payers want and need (ie, better outcomes, better care, and lower per capita costs). Here we propose a policy that quality measurement should be: balanced to meet the need of end users to judge quality and cost performance and the need of providers to continuously improve the quality, outcomes and costs of their services; and parsimonious to measure quality, outcomes and costs with appropriate metrics that are selected based on end-user needs.

Controlling healthcare costs by removing waste: what American doctors can do now.

Healthcare costs are unsustainable. The authors propose a solution to control costs without rationing (deliberate withholding of effective care) or payment reductions to doctors and hospitals. Three physician-led strategies comprise this solution: reduce (1) overuse of health services, (2) preventable complications and (3) waste within healthcare processes. These challenges know no borders.

Influence of the number of malignant regional lymph nodes detected by endoscopic ultrasonography on survival stratification in esophageal adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The nodal staging of esophageal cancer accounts for the absence or presence of metastatic lymph nodes (N0 or N1, respectively). Surgical data suggest that patients have worse survival when esophagectomy specimens contain higher numbers of regional malignant lymph nodes. It has been proposed that the staging system for esophageal cancer be modified to include the number of malignant lymph nodes. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of the number of malignant-appearing regional lymph nodes detected on endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) on survival in patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma. METHODS: Historical case series involved patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma who underwent EUS staging at a single center between 1994 and 2004. Endoscopy reports were reviewed to determine the number of malignant-appearing periesophageal lymph nodes seen on EUS examination. Subjects were categorized as having 0, 1-2, or >2 periesophageal lymph nodes. A regional cancer registry prospectively obtained survival data. RESULTS: Among 85 patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma, the Kaplan-Meier curves showed distinct survival advantages in those with fewer malignant-appearing regional lymph nodes (P=.0008). The median survivals were 66 months, 14.5 months, and 6.5 months for 0, 1-2, and >2 malignant-appearing lymph nodes, respectively. Survival was also influenced by celiac lymph nodes and tumor length, both of which were associated with increased number of malignant nodes. CONCLUSIONS: The number of malignant-appearing periesophageal lymph nodes detected by EUS is associated with improved survival stratification in patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma and should be considered in the presurgical staging of esophageal cancer.

Endoscopic evaluation of patients with partial gastrectomy and iron deficiency.

Endoscopy is indicated for the evaluation of unexplained iron deficiency to rule out neoplasia. Iron deficiency is common in postgastrectomy patients. The endoscopic yield for significant pathology in these patients is unknown but is expected to be lower than for other iron-deficient groups. A retrospective case-control study with 2:1 matching was performed comparing iron-deficient patients (ferritin < or = 50 microg/liter) having prior Billroth I or Billroth II gastrectomy to matched iron-deficient controls with normal gastric anatomy. There were 52 postgastrectomy patients and 113 controls. There were no significant differences between postgastrectomy patient and controls in age, gender ratio, or laboratory test results, with the exception of MCV (88.9 +/- -1.1 vs 86.0 +/- -0.8, mean +/- SEM, P = 0.048) There were no significant differences in the prevalence of upper gastrointestinal pathology (24.5% vs 29.2%), large (>1 cm) colon polyps (8.3% vs 5.2%), or the presence of any adenomatous colon polyp (28.6% vs 18.9%). There were no malignancies. In conclusion, prevalence of clinically significant pathology is similar for postgastrectomy and nonpostgastrectomy iron-deficient patients. Endoscopic evaluation of iron deficiency should not differ in postgastrectomy patients.

A comparison of EUS features between CD-117 positive GI stromal tumors and CD-117 negative GI spindle cell tumors.

BACKGROUND: GI stromal tumors are spindle cell tumors that stain positive for immunohistochemical CD-117 (c-kit). Prognostic factors for malignancy include size (> or =4 cm), mitotic index (5 mitotic figures/50 high-powered fields), and ulcerated, cystic, or necrotic areas within the tumor. The purpose of this study was to compare these features in c-kit positive vs. c-kit negative tumors. METHODS: All patients referred for EUS of submucosal lesions were identified, and histopathology, including immunohistochemical staining, was reviewed to determine all diagnoses of GI stromal tumors. Size, echo pattern, and presence of cystic spaces and ulceration were recorded as diagnosed by EUS. Histopathologic diagnoses were made by FNA or endoscopic submucosal-mucosal resection. If surgical resection followed, the surgical diagnosis, staining pattern, mitotic index, and presence of ulceration, necrosis, and nuclear atypia were recorded. RESULTS: Forty patients (21 men, 19 women; 38 white, 2 African American; mean age 58 +/- 2.6 years) had 46 EUS procedures performed for evaluation of spindle cell tumors. Seventeen stained positive for c-kit (mean age, 59 +/- 3.6 years; range 19 to 80 years) and 12 negative (mean age, 57 +/- 3.8 years; range 31 to 76 years); 11 were not stained for c-kit (excluded from analysis). On EUS, 7 were ulcerated, 3 cystic, and 6 were larger than 4 cm. This group of findings was observed in 12 patients, 11 of whom had c-kit positive tumors (11/17 vs. 1/12; p = 0.006). Tumors positive for c-kit were larger (42.4 +/- 5.5 mm vs. 19.0 +/- 5.9 mm; p = 0.005). There were 13 c-kit positive tumors in the stomach, 2 in the duodenum, and 1 each in the esophagus and at the gastroesophageal junction. Of the 12 c-kit negative tumors, 8 were located in the esophagus and 1 at the gastroesophageal junction (9/12 vs. 2/17; p < 0.01). Surgical resection was performed on 13 patients, 12 of whom had c-kit positive tumors, and 3 of these 12 tumors had greater than 5 mitoses per 50 high-powered field. CONCLUSIONS: If a GI stromal tumor is suspected, EUS-FNA with immunohistochemical staining should be performed for CD-117 (c-kit). C-kit tumors are more likely to have malignant features and should be resected or subjected to close clinical follow-up.

Yield of tissue sampling for submucosal lesions evaluated by EUS.

BACKGROUND: Evaluation of submucosal nodules or large gastric folds is a common indication for EUS. Establishing a tissue diagnosis is challenging because the yield of forceps biopsies is low. The aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic yield of EUS-guided endoscopic submucosal-mucosal resection and forceps biopsy for submucosal nodules and large gastric folds. METHODS: Patients who underwent EUS from March 1997 through January 2002 for evaluation of submucosal nodules or large gastric folds were identified, and the procedure and pathology reports reviewed. Patients were included who underwent endoscopic submucosal-mucosal resection (n = 45) or large-capacity ("jumbo") biopsy (n = 36) of submucosal lesions (arising from third endosonographic layer) or large gastric folds. Endoscopic submucosal-mucosal resection was performed with an electrosurgical snare or with a cap-fitted endoscopic mucosal resection device. RESULTS: Sixty-six patients (62% men; mean age, 61 years; range 27-80 years) underwent 69 EUS procedures to obtain tissue samples of subepithelial lesions. Diagnostic yields were as follows: endoscopic submucosal-mucosal resection 40/45 (89%; 95% CI [80%, 98%]), jumbo biopsy 15/36 (42%; 95% CI [26%, 58%]) (p < 0.001 by two-tailed Fisher exact test). There were 9 complications: 7 instances of bleeding (6 endoscopic submucosal-mucosal resection, 1 jumbo biopsy), 3 requiring hospitalization (2 endoscopic submucosal-mucosal resection, 1 jumbo biopsy) and 2 requiring transfusion; 1 chest pain and odynophagia (esophageal endoscopic submucosal-mucosal resection); and 1 oversedation (requiring administration of reversal agents). CONCLUSIONS: For submucosal lesions and large gastric folds, endoscopic submucosal-mucosal resection has a better diagnostic yield than the jumbo biopsy, but may have a higher complication rate.