Temporary Vascular Debranching to Facilitate Retroperitoneal Tumour en bloc Resection.

BACKGROUND: Oncovascular teams are known to be a cornerstone in planning and facilitating en bloc resection of large retroperitoneal masses. Vascular surgeons can help with dissection close to major vessels by vascular reconstruction when necessary, and also in performing specific procedures that can facilitate safe and optimal tumour mass resection. Two cases are reported where temporary vascular debranching of major arteries allowed safe tumour harvesting. CASE REPORTS: A 68 year old man with a necrotic retroperitoneal carcinoma underwent en bloc resection with temporary debranching of the coeliac trunk, superior mesenteric artery, and right renal artery using a multibranched bypass from the axillary artery. The post-operative course included septic shock related to pulmonary infection requiring a 10 day stay in the intensive care unit (ICU). Renal function was normalised on day two. The patient was discharged on day 18. However, he died 78 months post-operatively from pulmonary metastases after anti-angiogenic treatment.A 34 year old man with a retroperitoneal mature teratoma underwent en bloc resection with temporary debranching of the coeliac trunk, superior mesenteric artery, left and right renal arteries, and left and right common iliac arteries, with a multibranched bypass from the axillary artery. Post-operatively he required a five day stay in the ICU. Acute kidney injury (AKI) was noted, but it resolved without dialysis. The patient was discharged on day 16. After 78 months follow up he presented with chronic renal failure requiring dialysis. Follow up computed tomography angiography showed pulmonary metastases; although the metastases were manageable with surgical treatment, the patient refused further care. CONCLUSIONS: Temporary extra-anatomical bypass from the axillary artery to the visceral arteries could be considered as an option to provide adequate perfusion and to prevent visceral ischaemia during en bloc resection of large retroperitoneal masses.

Long-term abdominal wall benefits of the laparoscopic approach in liver left lateral sectionectomy: a multicenter comparative study.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopy is nowadays considered as the standard approach for hepatic left lateral sectionectomy (LLS), but its value in the prevention of incisional hernia (IH) has not been demonstrated. METHODS: Between 2012 and 2017, patients undergoing laparoscopic (LLLS) or open LLS (OLLS) in 8 centers were compared. Patients undergoing a simultaneous major abdominal procedure were excluded. The incidence of IH was assessed clinically and morphologically on computed tomography (CT) using inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) and multivariable regression analysis. RESULTS: After IPTW, 84 LLLS were compared to 48 OLLS. Compared to OLLS, LLLS patients had reduced blood loss (100 [IQR: 50-200] ml vs. 150 [IQR: 50-415] ml, p = 0.023) and shorter median hospital stay (5 [IQR: 4-7] days vs. 7 [6-9] days, p < 0.001), but experienced similar rate of postoperative complications (mean comprehensive complication index: 12 ± 19 after OLLS versus 13 ± 20 after LLLS, p = 0.968). Long-term radiological screening was performed with a median follow-up of 27.4 (12.1-44.9) months. There was no difference between the two groups in terms of clinically relevant IH (10.7% [n = 9] after LLLS, 8.3% [n = 4] after OLLS, p = 0.768). The rate of IH detected on computed tomography was lower after LLLS than after OLLS (11.9% [n = 10] versus 29.2% [n = 14], p = 0.013). On multivariable analysis, the laparoscopic approach was the only independent factor influencing the risk of morphological IH (OR = 0.290 [95% CI: 0.094-0.891], p = 0.031). The 2 preferential sites for specimen extraction after LLLS were Pfannenstiel and midline incisions, with rates of IH across the extraction site of 2.3% [n = 1/44] and 23.8% [n = 5/21], respectively (p = 0.011). CONCLUSION: The laparoscopic approach for LLS decreases the risk of long-term IH as evidenced on morphological examinations, with limited clinical impact. Pfannenstiel's incision should be preferred to midline incision for specimen extraction after LLLS.

Severe postoperative complications decrease overall and disease free survival in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma after pancreaticoduodenectomy.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative complications influence overall and disease free survival after pancreaticoduodenectomy for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is still a matter of debate and controversy. METHODS: The outcome of 942 consecutive patients, from the multicentric study of the French Association of Surgery, between January 2004 and December 2009 was analyzed. Perioperative data, including severe complications (grade III and above), were used in univariate and multivariate analysis to assess their influence on overall and disease free survival. Recurrence and its location were investigated as well. RESULTS: Median overall and disease free survival were 24 and 19 months respectively. Postoperative complications occurred in 444 patients (47%) with 18.3% of severe complications. On multivariate analysis, severe complications, positive lymph node status and R1-R2 resection were independent prognostic factors for both overall and disease free survival. The median overall survival decreased from 25 to 22 months (p = 0.005) and disease free survival from 21 to 16 months (p = 0.02) if severe complications occurred. Severe complications were independent prognostic factor of recurrence (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Severe complications significantly alter both overall and disease free survival and are an independent factor of recurrence.

Is the 2-cm size cutoff relevant for small nonfunctioning pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors: A French multicenter study.

BACKGROUND: Nonfunctioning pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (NF-PNETs) are often discovered at a small size. No clear consensus exists on the management of NF-PNETs ≤ 2 cm. The aim of our study was to determine the prognostic value of indicators of malignancy in sporadic NF-PNETs ≤ 2 cm. METHODS: Eighty patients were evaluated retrospectively in 7 French University Hospital Centers. Patients were managed by operative resection (operative group [OG]) or observational follow-up (non-OG [NOG]). Pathologic characteristics and outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: Sixty-six patients (58% women) were in the OG (mean age, 59 years; 95% CI, 56.0-62.3; mean tumor size, 1.6 cm; 95% CI, 1.5-1.7); 14 (72% women, n = 10) were in the NOG (mean age, 63 years; 95% CI, 56-70; mean tumor size, 1.4 cm; 95% CI, 1.0-1.7). All PNETs were ranked using the European Neuroendocrine Tumor Society grading system. Fifteen patients (19%) had malignant tumors defined by node or liver metastasis (synchronous or metachronous). The median disease-free survival was different between malignant and nonmalignant PNETs, respectively: 16 (range, 4-72) versus 30 months (range, 1-156; P = .03). On a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, tumor size had a significant impact on malignancy (area under the curve [AUC], 0.75; P = .03), but not Ki-67 (AUC, 0.59; P = .31). A tumor size cutoff was found on the ROC curve at 1.7 cm (odd ratio, 10.8; 95% CI; 2.2-53.2; P = .003) with a sensitivity of 92% and a specificity of 75% to predict malignancy. CONCLUSION: Based on our retrospective study, the cutoff of 2 cm of malignancy used for small NF-PNETs could be decreased to 1.7 cm to select patients more accurately.

Sonic hedgehog and Gli1 expression predict outcome in resected pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

PURPOSE: Aberrant activation of the hedgehog (Hh) pathway is implicated in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) tumorigenesis. We investigated the prognostic and predictive value of four Hh signaling proteins and of the tumor stromal density. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Using tissue microarray and immunohistochemistry, the expression of Shh, Gli1, SMO, and PTCH1 was assessed in 567 patients from three independent cohorts who underwent surgical resection for PDAC. In 82 patients, the tumor stromal index (SI) was calculated, and its association with overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) was investigated. RESULTS: Shh and Gli1 protein abundance were independent prognostic factors in resected PDACs; low expressors for those proteins experiencing a better OS and DFS. The combination of Shh and Gli1 levels was the most significant predictor for OS and defined 3 clinically relevant subgroups of patients with different prognosis (Gli1 and Shh low; HR set at 1 vs. 3.08 for Shh or Gli1 high vs. 5.69 for Shh and Gli1 high; P < 0.001). The two validating cohorts recapitulated the findings of the training cohort. After further stratification by lymph node status, the prognostic significance of combined Shh and Gli1 was maintained. The tumor SI was correlated with Shh levels and was significantly associated with OS (P = 0.023). CONCLUSIONS: Shh and Gli1 are prognostic biomarkers for patients with resected PDAC.