Vascular- and nerve-sparing bowel resection for deep endometriosis: A retrospective single-center study.

OBJECTIVE: Surgical management of bowel endometriosis is still controversial. Recently, many authors have pointed out the potential benefits of preserving the superior rectal artery, thus ensuring better perfusion of the anastomosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the complication rate and functional outcomes of a bowel resection technique for deep endometriosis (DE) involving a nerve- and vascular-sparing approach. METHODS: A single-center retrospective study was conducted by enrolling patients who underwent segmental resection of the rectus sigmoid for DE in our department between September 2019 and April 2022. Intraoperative and postoperative complications were recorded for each woman, and functional outcomes relating to the pelvic organs were assessed using validated questionnaires (Knowles-Eccersley-Scott-Symptom [KESS] questionnaire and Gastro-Intestinal Quality of Life Index [GIQLI] for bowel function, Bristol Female Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms [BFLUTS] for urinary function, and Female Sexual Function Index [FSFI] for sexual function). These were evaluated preoperatively and postoperatively after 6 months from surgery. RESULTS: Sixty-one patients were enrolled. No patients had Clavien-Dindo grade 3 or 4 complications, there were no rectovaginal fistulas or ureteral lesions, and in no cases was it necessary to reoperate. Temporary bladder voiding deficits were reported in 8.2% of patients, which were treated with self-catheterizations, always resolving within 45 days of surgery. Gastrointestinal function evaluated by KESS and GIQLI improved significantly after surgery, whereas sexual function appeared to worsen, although without reaching the level of statistically significant validity. CONCLUSION: Our vascular- and nerve-sparing segmental bowel resection technique for DE had a low intraoperative and postoperative complication rate and produced an improvement in gastrointestinal function after surgery.

Effectiveness and Validation of the Italian Translation of the Low Anterior Resection Syndrome Score in an Italian High-Volume University Hospital.

Background: The low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) score is a validated questionnaire developed in Denmark to measure the severity of bowel dysfunction after low anterior resection. This retrospective study aimed to assess the effectiveness of the LARS score in the Italian language in a population of Italian patients who underwent low anterior resection for rectal cancer. The convergent and discriminative validity and the test-retest reliability of the score were investigated. Methods: A cohort of two hundred and five patients treated with low anterior resection were enrolled in an Italian high-volume university hospital between January 2000 and April 2018. The Italian version of the LARS score (tested twice), as translated from English original version, a single question on quality of life and the EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire were submitted to patients. Results: A high proportion of patients showed a perfect or moderate fit between the LARS score and QoL categories (convergent validity, p < 0.0005). All differences regarding the items of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire - Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) functional scales were statistically significant (p < 0.0005). The LARS score was able to discriminate between groups of patients who received or did not receive preoperative chemoradiotherapy (p < 0.0005) and those who received total or partial mesorectal excision (p < 0.0005). The test-retest reliability was excellent (intraclass correlation coefficient 0.96). Conclusion: The Italian translation of the LARS score is an easy and reliable tool for assessing bowel dysfunction after low anterior resection and its routine use in clinical practice should be recommended.Trial registration number at www.clinicaltrials.gov: NCT04406311.

The Road to Technical Proficiency in Cytoreductive Surgery for Peritoneal Carcinomatosis: Risk-Adjusted Cumulative Summation Analysis.

Background: Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) is a technically demanding procedure, and there is considerable debate about its safe application. This study investigated the learning curve for CRS and the clinical outcomes of consecutive patients treated by a single surgeon at a single institution. Methods: We collected 251 consecutive patients who underwent CRS for peritoneal metastases by a single surgeon at Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, between January 2016 and December 2020. The learning curve was estimated using the cumulative summation analysis (CUSUM) for operative time (OT). Risk-adjusted CUSUM (RA-CUSUM) charts were developed using a composite variable (surgical failure), defined as the occurrence of at least one of the following events: major postoperative complications (Clavien-Dindo grade ≥3), blood loss ≥500 mL, incomplete cytoreduction. Three learning phases were thus derived from the RA-CUSUM analysis, and were compared in terms of perioperative outcomes. Results: CUSUM-OT showed that the operation time improved significantly after the 161th case. RA-CUSUM analysis allowed to break the CRS learning curve into three different phases: phase 1, "the learning phase" (cases 1-99), phase 2 "the experienced phase" (cases 100-188), and phase 3, "the mastership phase" (cases 189-251). The rate of major postoperative complications decreased significantly over the three phases (p = 0.019). Operative time decreased significantly as well (p = 0.031) and was significantly shorter in phase 3 with respect to the other two phases (phase 3 vs phase 2: 420 min vs 500 min, p = 0.017; phase 3 vs phase 1: 420 min vs 503 min, p = 0.021). Blood loss consistently decreased throughout the three phases (p = 0.001). The rate of incomplete cytoreduction was significantly lower in phase 3 than in phase 2 (4.8% vs 14.6%, p = 0.043). Conclusion: The CRS failure rate stabilized after the first 99 cases, and the complete surgical proficiency was achieved after 189 cases. A standardised and mentored learning model is a safer strategy to shorten the learning process, to reduce morbidity and mortality, to improve oncologic outcomes.

Prognostic Factors for Surgical Failure in Malignant Bowel Obstruction and Peritoneal Carcinomatosis.

Introduction: Patients with peritoneal metastasis frequently develop malignant bowel obstruction (MBO). Medical palliative management is preferred but often fails. Conversely, the role of palliative surgery remains unclear and debated. This study aims to identify patients who could benefit from invasive surgical interventions and factors associated with successful surgical palliation. Materials and Methods: In this retrospective study, 98 consecutive patients who underwent palliative surgery for MBO over 5 years were reviewed. We evaluate as the primary outcome surgical failure to select patients who could benefit from palliative surgery, avoiding unnecessary surgery. A prognostic score was developed based on a logistic regression model to identify patients at risk of surgical failure. The score was evaluated for overall accuracy by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Results: Palliative surgery was achieved in 76 (77.5%) patients. The variables that were found to be significant factors for surgical failure are recurrent disease (P = 0.015), absence of bowel obstruction (P < 0.001), absence of bowel distension (P < 0.001), and mesenteric involvement (P = 0.001) and retraction (P < 0.001). The absence of bowel distension (P = 0.046) and bowel obstruction (P = 0.012) emerged as independent predictors of surgical failure. Carcinomatosis level assessment for peritoneum score, based on these factors, was built to evaluate the risk of surgical failure. Conclusion: Our proposed scoring system might help select patients most likely to benefit from palliative surgery.

Cytoreduction and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy for Pseudomyxoma Peritonei of Appendiceal Origin: A Single Center Experience.

Background: Pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) originating from appendiceal mucinous neoplasm is a rare peritoneal malignancy characterized by the progressive intraperitoneal accumulation of mucus leading to death if left untreated. In recent years, cytoreductive surgery (CRS) combined with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) offered increased survival rates. This study aims to identify the clinical, pathological, and surgical features influencing safety and survival outcomes of patients undergoing CRS and HIPEC for PMP of appendiceal origin. Methods: A retrospective analysis of all patients undergoing CRS and HIPEC for PMP of appendiceal origin from January 2015 to May 2019 was conducted at our institution. Results: Study population included 50 patients (74% female, 26% male). The median age at CRS was 60 (38-84). The median peritoneal cancer index (PCI) was 17. Complete cytoreductive surgery (CC 0-1) was achieved in 47 patients (94%). HIPEC chemotherapeutic regimen was based on oxaliplatin for 13 (28%) patients and mitomycin for 34 (72%) patients. We experienced a total of 19 (38%) postoperative complications, of which 14 (74%) of grade I-II and 5 (26%) of grade III-IV, according to the Clavien-Dindo classification. The median follow-up period was 27 months (12-107) from the date of cytoreductive surgery. The mean survival rate was 100 months, with a 5-year OS of 91%. The mean progression-free survival rate was 77 months (0-107), with a 5-year PFS of 63%. Multivariate analysis identified adenocarcinoma histotype and incomplete cytoreduction to significantly worsen progression-free survival, while incomplete cytoreduction was the only independent predictor of poorer overall survival. Conclusion: Complete cytoreduction and appendiceal neoplasm histotype play a crucial role in the survival of patients affected by PMP of appendiceal origin. The rates of morbidity associated with CRS and HIPEC for PMP are acceptable.

Clinical and Molecular Features in Patients Undergoing Cytoreductive Surgery and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy for Peritoneal Carcinosis from Colorectal Cancer.

PURPOSE: Careful patient selection plays a crucial role in avoiding overtreatment and further increases survival rates in patients undergoing cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) for colorectal cancer (CRC) with peritoneal metastases (PM). METHODS: The clinical and molecular factors influencing survival in patients who had undergone CRS with HIPEC between January 2015 and December 2018 were analyzed. RESULTS: Sixty-six patients underwent CRS with HIPEC during the study period. The median overall survival (OS) was 36 months, with a 3-year OS of 43%. Multivariate analysis revealed increased PCI (HR: 1.21; 95% CI: 1.02-1.41; p = 0.020), right-sided primary tumor (HR: 3.01; 95% CI: 1.27-7.13; p = 0.017), and BRAF V600E mutation (HR: 4.55; 95% CI: 1.21-17.21; p = 0.025) as independent predictors for worse OS. CONCLUSION: In addition to confirming the prognostic role of PCI, our study extends the role of BRAF mutation and right primary tumor location as markers for worse prognosis.

Cytoreductive surgery and mitomycin C hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy with CO2 recirculation (HIPEC-CO2) for colorectal cancer peritoneal metastases: analysis of short-term outcomes.

Peritoneal dissemination from colorectal cancer (CRC) has long been associated with unfavorable prognosis. However, in the last decades, the combination of cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) was able to obtain up to 30% 5-year survival rate in selected centers. Despite the wide diffusion of CRS and HIPEC, until now, there are no clear recommendations on the drug of choice for HIPEC nor its technique, and safety and efficacy data of HIPEC regimens and techniques are lacking. We performed a retrospective analysis of a prospectively maintained database of 26 CRS and mitomycin C HIPEC with CO2 recirculation (HIPEC-CO2) for CRC peritoneal metastasis (PM) performed at our center. The main endpoints were morbidity, mortality, the temperature of perfusate during HIPEC and metabolic changes throughout the procedure. Morbidity was assessed by analysis of postoperative adverse events according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE version 4.0). Continuous variables of Arterial Blood Gas (ABG) analysis at three time-points were compared by the Student t test. There were no postoperative deaths. The overall grade 3-4 CTCAE complications rate at 30 days was 38.4%, with ten severe adverse events occurring to six (23.0%) patients. The temperature within HIPEC perfusion maintained between 41 and 42 °C in all cases and we experienced no HIPEC-related intraoperative complications. We observed a significant difference between all baseline and pre-HIPEC ABG parameters evaluated but no statistically significant differences between pre- and post-HIPEC ABG outcomes. This study shows that mitomycin C HIPEC-CO2 is feasible and has a safety profile comparable to that of other HIPEC techniques reported in the literature. Further research is needed to validate prospectively the safety and efficacy of this technique.

From palliation to cure: PIPAC for peritoneal malignancies.

INTRODUCTION: Systemic chemotherapy offers poor control over peritoneal disease, maybe as a consequence of restricted drug availability within the abdominal cavity. Locoregional chemotherapy may overcome these shortcomings but its administration is limited to a few patients with confined peritoneal spread. Pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC) emerged in the last years as a novel method of intraperitoneal drug administration. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: We report a meta-analysis of published studies on PIPAC safety and pathological anti-tumoral efficacy on PC from various tumor entities, with the aim of providing more evidence to support further research. This systematic review and meta-analysis were designed, conducted and reported according to the PRISMA statement. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: An overall pathological response rate of 43.7% was calculated on a total of 668 patients who underwent 1480 PIPAC cycles across the 20 studies. Pooled severe adverse events rate (CTCAE grade 3-4) was 10% and seven deaths across all studies were reported, of which only four were related to PIPAC. CONCLUSIONS: PIPAC is a safe procedure which has a relevant anti-tumoral activity on peritoneal carcinomatosis. Further studies, even in the early stage of disease, are awaited to assess the clinical benefit of PIPAC. This review may serve as a reliable basis for future research.