First clinical experiences of robotic gastrectomy for gastric cancer using the hinotori™ surgical robot system.

BACKGROUND: Although the da Vinci™ Surgical System is the most predominantly used surgical robot worldwide, other surgical robots are being developed. The Japanese surgical robot hinotori™ Surgical Robot System was launched and approved for clinical use in Japan in November 2022. We performed the first robotic gastrectomy for gastric cancer using hinotori in the world. Here, we report our initial experience and evaluation of the feasibility and safety of robotic gastrectomy for gastric cancer using hinotori. METHODS: A single-institution retrospective study was conducted. Between November 2022 and October 2023, 24 patients with gastric cancer underwent robotic gastrectomy with hinotori. Five ports, including one for an assistant, were placed in the upper abdomen, and gastric resection with standard lymphadenectomy and intracorporeal reconstruction were performed. The primary endpoint was the postoperative complication rate within 30 days after surgery. The secondary outcomes were surgical outcomes, including intraoperative adverse events, operative time, blood loss, and the number of dissected nodes. RESULTS: Of the 24 patients, 16 (66.7%) were male. The median age and body mass index were 73.5 years and 22.9 kg/m2, respectively. Twenty-three patients (95.8%) had tumors in the middle to lower stomach. Sixteen (66.7%) and seven (29.2%) patients had clinical stage I and II diseases, respectively. Twenty-three (95.8%) patients underwent distal gastrectomy. No patient had postoperative complications of Clavien-Dindo classification IIIa or higher, whereas two (8.3%) had the grade II complications (enteritis and pneumonia). No intraoperative adverse events, including conversion to other approaches, were observed. All patients received R0 resection. The median operative and console times were 400 and 305 min, respectively. The median blood loss was 14.5 mL, and the number of lymph nodes dissected was 51.5. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that robotic gastrectomy with standard lymphadenectomy for gastric cancer using hinotori can be safely performed.

Safe implementation of robotic distal gastrectomy performed by non-endoscopic surgical skill qualification system-qualified surgeons.

PURPOSE: Robotic gastrectomy (RG) for gastric cancer (GC) was approved for national medical insurance coverage in April, 2018, since when its use has increased dramatically throughout Japan. However, the safety of RG performed by surgeons who are not Endoscopic Surgical Skill Qualification System (ESSQS)-qualified has yet to be established. We conducted this study to verify the short-term outcomes of the initial series of RG procedures performed by non-ESSQS-qualified surgeons. METHODS: Between January, 2020 and December, 2021, 30 patients with clinical Stage I and II GC underwent RG performed by four non-ESSQS-qualified surgeons according to the Japan Society for Endoscopic Surgery guideline. We evaluated, retrospectively, the morbidity rates according to Clavien-Dindo (CD) classification grade II or higher. RESULTS: Each operating surgeon completed all procedures without any serious intraoperative adverse events. The median operative time, console time, and estimated blood loss were 413 (308-547) min, 361 (264-482) min, and 25.5 (4-167) mL, respectively. No patient required conversion to laparoscopic or open surgery. Three (10%) patients suffered CD grade II complications postoperatively. The median postoperative hospitalization was 11 (8-51) days. CONCLUSION: Non-ESSQS-qualified surgeons trained by expert RG surgeons could perform robotic distal gastrectomy safely for initial cases.

Expression status of p53 and organic cation transporter 1 is correlated with poor response to preoperative chemotherapy in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a highly malignant neoplasm. DNA-damaging drugs, such as cisplatin (CDDP) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), are most frequently used in preoperative chemotherapy for ESCC. However, the response to preoperative chemotherapy varies among patients. p53, encoded by TP53, participates in apoptotic pathways following chemotherapy with DNA-damaging drugs, and mutation of TP53 contributes to chemoresistance. Organic cation transporter 1 (OCT1) participates in the uptake of CDDP, and its reduced expression is associated with CDDP resistance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive impact of the expression status of p53 and OCT1 in response to preoperative chemotherapy in ESCC. METHODS: We retrospectively assessed 66 ESCC patients who received preoperative chemotherapy with CDDP/5-FU (CF) or docetaxel/CDDP/5-FU (DCF). p53 and OCT1 expression in pretreatment biopsy specimens was immunohistochemically determined and correlated with histological response to preoperative chemotherapy. RESULTS: p53 with wild-type (p53WT-ex) and mutant-type (p53MT-ex) expression patterns was identified in 40.9% and 59.1% of patients, respectively. High expression of OCT1 (OCT1High) was detected in 45.5%, and the remaining 54.5% showed low expression (OCT1Low). In a univariate analysis of the entire cohort, p53MT-ex was significantly correlated with poor response (P = 0.026), whereas OCT1Low showed marginal significance (P = 0.091). In a combined analysis, tumors with either p53MT-ex or OCT1Low showed a significant correlation with poor response compared with tumors with both p53WT-ex and OCT1High (P < 0.001). The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of combined p53/OCT1 were 93.9%, 47.1%, and 81.8%, respectively. Multivariate analysis identified p53 (P = 0.017), OCT1 (P = 0.032), and combined p53/OCT1 (P < 0.001) as independent predictors of histological response. When samples were stratified according to chemotherapy regimen in the univariate analysis, combined p53/OCT1 was the only significant factor for poor response in the CF (P = 0.011) and DCF (P = 0.021) groups, whereas p53 showed no statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that either p53MT-ex or OCT1Low expression in pretreatment biopsy specimens may be a potential predictor of poor response to preoperative chemotherapy with the CF-based regimens in ESCC, although the specificity needs to be improved.

[Robot-Assisted Surgery for Stage â £ Gastric Cancer with Liver Metastases-Report of a Case].

We report a successful case of robot-assisted surgery for Stage Ⅳ gastric cancer with liver metastasis. A 70s man diagnosed with advanced gastric cancer with S3 solitary liver metastasis, and received a chemotherapy with S-1 and cisplatin. After 4 courses of chemotherapy, liver metastatic lesion was disappeared. Thus, robotic distal gastrectomy and partial liver resection were performed. Operating time was 391 minutes, and amount of intraoperative blood loss was 11 mL. The postoperative course was uneventful, and the patient was discharged 11 days after surgery. Histologic examination revealed no viable malignant cells in the resected liver, with a diagnosis of ypT2N1M0, ypStage ⅡA. The patient is alive with no recurrence 12 months after surgery, without adjuvant chemotherapy.

[A Case of Gastric Granular Cell Tumor Resected by a Surgical Robot].

A 46-year-old man was referred to further treatment for a 20 mm submucosal tumor at the gastric angle found during a medical check-up. Endoscopic ultrasonography and chest abdominal contrast-enhanced CT revealed the tumor was located at the 4th(proper muscular)layer of the posterior wall of the gastric antrum and slightly enhanced. No metastasis was found. Although a biopsy failed to reveal an accurate diagnosis, GIST was clinically suspected. A robotic distal gastrectomy was planned to manage the residual gastric stricture. The intraoperative findings indicated possible passage of the remnant stomach; therefore, local resection was performed. The patient's postoperative course was uneventful, and he was discharged on postoperative day 9. A histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of a PAS-positive, S100-positive granular cell tumor with no nuclear atypia. These findings suggest that use of the robotic approach could help determine the stomach resection extent.

[A Case of Curative Resection for Gastric Cancer with Single Giant Lymph Node Metastasis].

A 79-year-old male presented with epigastric discomfort and appetite loss. A type 1 advanced gastric tumor was detected by upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. Contrast-enhanced CT revealed a 7 cm mass with contrast effect at the greater curvature of the lower body of the stomach. No distant metastases were found. Staging laparoscopy confirmed gastric cancer with single giant lymph node metastasis, which was resectable, although the metastatic node possibly invaded the transverse colon. We performed total gastrectomy and partial colectomy. Pathological examination revealed the tumor was pT3N1; the mass was #4sa lymph node metastasis of gastric cancer. The postoperative course was uneventful. No tumor recurrence has been found for 12 months postoperatively.

[A Case of Robotic Distal Pancreatectomy for Pancreatic Metastasis of Gastric Cancer].

A 78-year-old male who had received laparoscopic total gastrectomy for upper gastric cancer 30 months ago(pT3N0, pStage ⅡB)was referred for further treatment for a 30-mm in size mass at the splenic hilum. The mass was suspected of lymph node metastasis was suspected. Two courses of SOX therapy failed to achieve the tumor response. Since there was no other metastasis, surgical treatment was indicated. Robot distal pancreatectomy with splenectomy was performed. There was no finding of peritoneal metastasis during the operation. The operative time was 384 min, the blood loss 22 mL, respectively. The postoperative course was uneventful, and he was discharged on the 12th postoperative day. The histopathological examination found that the resected mass was pancreatic metastasis of gastric cancer. Despite 3 courses of SOX therapy after the operation, the tumor recurred at the liver and paraaortic lymph nodes 2 months later. The second-line ramucirumab plus paclitaxel was started and has continued for 11 months with partial response. Although oncological benefit of surgical resection for isolated metastasis of gastric cancer, including pancreatic metastasis, was unclear, the robotic approach for such an atypical case was safe and feasible, leading to smooth initiation of postoperative systemic therapy.

[A Successful Case of Treatment by Lymphangiography for Chylothorax after Robotic Esophagectomy-A Case of Report].

A 50-year-old woman diagnosed with clinical Stage Ⅲ esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, received 2 cycles of docetaxel, cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil(DCF)therapy followed by robotic esophagectomy. In the 15th postoperative day, she suddenly had difficulty in breathing and a chest CT finding showed a large amount of right pleural effusion. Thoracocentesis yield a 1 L of chylous fluid confirmed diagnosis with postoperative chylothorax and conservative treatment was initiated. However, chylothorax was not improved. Therefore, a lipiodol lymphangiography from the inguinal lymph node was performed at the 20th postoperative day. Although the site of leakage could not identify, amount of drained pleural effusion was gradually decreased after lymphangiography, and drain was decannulated in the 28th postoperative day. Lipiodol lymphangiography may be a useful modality for both diagnosis and treatment for chylothorax after esophagectomy.

Impact of Frailty on Postoperative Outcomes for Laparoscopic Gastrectomy in Patients Older than 80 Years.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to clarify the relationship between frailty and postoperative outcomes of laparoscopic gastrectomy for old-old patients with resectable gastric cancer. METHODS: The study retrospectively analyzed 96 consecutive patients (age ≥ 80 years) who had undergone R0 resection by laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer between 2006 and 2012. The patients were retrospectively scored using the clinical frailty scale (CFS) and categorized based on their scores (1-2, 3-4, and 5-7). Postoperative complications, 5-year survival rate, risk factors for morbidity, and prognosis were analyzed. RESULTS: The morbidity rate for Clavien-Dindo grades 2 or higher and 3a or higher were respectively 27.1% and 12.5%. Operative complications, especially systemic complications, were positively associated with an increase in CFS scores (p = 0.026). The overall 5-year survival rate was 59.8%, and the 5-year survival rates for those with a CFS score of 1-2, 3-4, and 5-7 were respectively 70.9%, 59.8%, and 35.1%. Specifically, the prognosis for the patients with a CFS score of 5-7 with stage 2 or 3 disease was significantly worse than for those with a lower CFS score (p = 0.009). The multivariate analysis showed that a total gastrectomy or blood loss of 200 g or more was a significant risk factor for morbidity (both p = 0.004), and that the independent risk factors for overall survival were a CFS score of 5-7 (p = 0.006), a body mass index lower than 18.5 kg/m2 (p = 0.039), and morbidity (grade ≥ 3a; p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Frailty has a great impact on operative morbidity and prognosis in the elderly, and the CFS score could be a promising prognostic predictor, especially for frail patients with advanced gastric cancer.

Laparoscopic repair of concurrent direct and indirect inguinal, femoral, and obturator hernias on the same side: A case report.

Concurrent direct and indirect inguinal, femoral, and obturator hernias are rare. This case report describes a rare case treated using the laparoscopic approach. A 68-year-old female patient presented with a moving left inguinal lump and pain. Physical examination and abdominal computed tomography scan revealed the coexistence of a left inguinal hernia or Nuck canal hydrocele and a left femoral hernia. The patient underwent laparoscopic transabdominal preperitoneal repair, and all four orifices were covered with one mesh. The patient was discharged on the second postoperative day without any complications. The concurrent presence of four hernias on the same side is rare and has not been previously reported. The laparoscopic approach is useful in such cases because it allows visualization of multiple hernia orifices from the intra-abdominal cavity.

Laparoscopic gastrectomy for remnant gastric cancer: A single-center retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) for remnant gastric cancer (RGC) remains controversial because of its rarity and heterogeneity of clinical characteristics. Based on our experience, we posited that our established methodology in LG could be applied to the laparoscopic procedure for RGC surgery and introduced LG for RGC at our institution in 2004. METHODS: This study enrolled 46 patients who underwent LG for RGC between January 2004 and December 2017. Data were obtained through a review of our prospectively maintained database. Laparoscopic total gastrectomy (LTG) was the standard surgical procedure for RGC. Laparoscopic subtotal gastrectomy (LsTG) was performed as an alternative procedure for patients with RGC located near the anastomotic site after primary gastrectomy. The technical and oncological feasibility and safety of LG for RGC were evaluated. RESULTS: LTG for RGC was performed on 36 patients. LsTG for RGC was performed on 10 patients. All patients completed LG procedure and succeeded R0 resection. Complications of Clavien-Dindo classification grade ≥ IIIa occurred in 4 (8.7%) patients. The retrospective video reviews showed that the time for adhesiotomy around the suprapancreatic area and the lesser curvature of the remnant stomach was significantly shorter in the primary-benign group than in the primary-malignant group. With the median follow-up period of 40 months, the 3-year recurrence-free survival and 3-year overall survival rates were 72.3% and 80.2%, respectively. CONCLUSION: LG for RGC represents a safe and feasible surgical option with favorable short-term and long-term outcomes in patients with RGC.

Docetaxel+Cisplatin+5-FU (DCF) Therapy as a Preoperative Chemotherapy to Advanced Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Single-center Retrospective Cohort Study.

Objective The aim of this study was to determine the safety and clinical efficacy of docetaxel+cisplatin+5-fluorouracil (DCF) as neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). Methods In this single-center study, patient background and treatment outcomes (NAC efficacy assessment, NAC adverse events, short-term postoperative outcomes, and one-year postoperative outcomes) in patients treated with preoperative DCF and preoperative cisplatin+5-FU (CF) were compared retrospectively. Patients Seventeen patients diagnosed with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and treated with preoperative DCF therapy and 50 patients treated with preoperative CF therapy between January 2013 and July 2019 were included in this study. Results There were significant differences in clinical T factor and clinical stage between the CF and DCF groups (p<0.05). All patients in the DCF therapy group were above clinical T3 and clinical stage III. The clinical response after NAC was partial response (PR) for 23 patients (46.0%) in the CF group and 13 patients (76.5%) in the DCF group (p=0.030). Regarding adverse events in NAC, neutropenia, febrile neutropenia (FN), diarrhea, and stomatitis were observed more frequently in the DCF group than in the CF group (p<0.05). The postoperative results [overall survival (OS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), one-year OS, one-year RFS] of the DCF group were comparable to those of the CF group. Conclusion DCF therapy has been recognized as an effective treatment option for advanced ESCC. However, the indication for DCF therapy should be chosen carefully because of the high incidence of adverse events.

Evaluation of the recurrence pattern of gastric cancer after laparoscopic gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to analyze the oncological aspects of gastric cancer following laparoscopic gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy (LG-D2). METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated the long-term outcomes of 354 patients who underwent LG-D2 for primary gastric cancer. Recurrence patterns and predictors of peritoneal metastasis were analyzed. RESULTS: Median follow-up time was 43.8 months. Five-year overall survival rates for yp/pStages I, II, and III gastric cancer were 93.7, 78.5, and 42.2 %, respectively. Recurrence was observed in 86 patients. Peritoneal metastasis was the most frequent recurrence pattern (n = 51), followed by hepatic metastasis (n = 17). Lymphatic recurrence at distant sites was observed in 10 patients. No locoregional lymph node metastasis or local recurrence was seen. Nine of 51 cases of peritoneal recurrence were detected by probe laparoscopy. Peritoneal recurrence rates were significantly higher in yp/pT4 and yp/pN3 diseases compared with yp/pT ≤ 3 and yp/pN ≤ 2 diseases. Multivariate analyses demonstrated that yp/pT4, yp/pN3, tumor size ≥70 mm, vascular invasion, and undifferentiated tumors were predictors of peritoneal recurrence following LG-D2. CONCLUSION: Long-term outcomes of gastric cancer following LG-D2, including recurrence patterns and predictors of peritoneal metastasis, were comparable to those following open D2 gastrectomy. LG-D2 showed good local control. Probe laparoscopy after LG may be effective in detecting peritoneal recurrence, which is not determined with less invasive examinations, including a CT scan. Future large-scale prospective studies are desirable to evaluate not only surgical but also oncological benefits and safety of LG-D2 for advanced gastric cancer.

Laparoscopic excision of subdiaphragmatic bronchogenic cyst occurring in the retroperitoneum: report of a case.

Although bronchogenic cysts (BCs) are benign congenital malformations usually occur in thoracic cavity, retroperitoneal location is extremely uncommon. We reported a case of BC occurred in the retroperitoneum, which was excised laparoscopically. A 64-year-old Japanese woman was admitted to the hospital because of submucosal tumor in the upper part of the stomach. An upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed a submucosal tumor located just distal to the esophagogastric junction. The abdominal computed tomography scan revealed a cystic mass located in contact with lesser curvature of the stomach and the dorsal surface of the liver. As the cystic mass was well-circumscribed and showed no positive findings suggestive of malignancy, the laparoscopic excision of the cystic mass was performed. The cystic tumor was completely excised with a laparoscopic procedure. The histologic findings indicated that the cyst was surfaced by the ciliated pseudostratified epithelium without the presence of the cartilage, which was compatible with the BC of the retroperitoneum. This case highlights the safety and the feasibility of complete laparoscopic excision of retroperitoneal BC. Laparoscopic excision of retroperitoneal BC definitely provides all advantages of minimally invasive procedure, which improves postoperative patient discomfort and pain and shortens hospital stay. Laparoscopic procedure may definitely be a standard approach for the excision of retroperitoneal BC.