Evidence for molecular subtyping in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients exhibit varied responses to multimodal therapy. RNA gene sequencing has unravelled distinct tumour biology subtypes, forming the focus of this review exploring its impact on survival outcomes. METHODS: A systematic search across PubMed, Medline, Embase, and CINAHL databases targeted studies assessing long-term overall and disease-free survival in PDAC patients with molecular subtyping. RESULTS: Fifteen studies including 2731 patients were identified. Molecular subtyping was performed by RNA sequencing and Immunohistochemistry in 14 studies and by Mass Spectrometry in 1 study. Two main tumour subtypes were identified (classical and basal-like or squamous) with basal like associated with poorer outcomes. Further subtypes were identified in individual studies. Superior survival was seen with classical subtype in all other analyses that compared the classical and basal subtypes. High risk stromal subtypes were identified on further analysis of the stroma and were associated with a worse survival independent of the tumour subtype. CONCLUSION: Molecular subtyping of PDAC specimens can identify patients with high-risk tumour biology and poor survival outcomes. Routine subtyping is limited by the cost of RNA sequencing and the volume of raw data generated which has made its translation into routine clinical practice difficult.

Risk of Recurrence after Surgical Resection for Adenocarcinoma Arising from Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasia (IPMN) with Patterns of Distribution and Treatment: An International, Multicentre, Observational Study.

OBJECTIVE: This international multicentre cohort study aims to identify recurrence patterns and treatment of first and second recurrence in a large cohort of patients after pancreatic resection for adenocarcinoma arising from IPMN. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Recurrence patterns and treatment of recurrence post resection of adenocarcinoma arising from IPMN are poorly explored. METHOD: Patients undergoing pancreatic resection for adenocarcinoma from IPMN between January 2010 to December 2020 at 18 pancreatic centres were identified. Survival analysis was performed by the Kaplan-Meier log rank test and multivariable logistic regression by Cox-Proportional Hazards modelling. Endpoints were recurrence (time-to, location, and pattern of recurrence) and survival (overall survival and adjusted for treatment provided). RESULTS: Four hundred and fifty-nine patients were included (median, 70 y; IQR, 64-76; male, 54 percent) with a median follow-up of 26.3 months (IQR, 13.0-48.1 mo). Recurrence occurred in 209 patients (45.5 percent; median time to recurrence, 32.8 months, early recurrence [within 1 y], 23.2 percent). Eighty-three (18.1 percent) patients experienced a local regional recurrence and 164 (35.7 percent) patients experienced distant recurrence. Adjuvant chemotherapy was not associated with reduction in recurrence (HR 1.09;P=0.669) One hundred and twenty patients with recurrence received further treatment. The median survival with and without additional treatment was 27.0 and 14.6 months (P<0.001), with no significant difference between treatment modalities. There was no significant difference in survival between location of recurrence (P=0.401). CONCLUSION: Recurrence after pancreatic resection for adenocarcinoma arising from IPMN is frequent with a quarter of patients recurring within 12 months. Treatment of recurrence is associated with improved overall survival and should be considered.

Intraoperative pancreas stump perfusion assessment during pancreaticoduodenectomy: A systematic scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Post-operative pancreatic fistula (POPF) is the primary cause of morbidity following pancreaticoduodenectomy. Rates of POPF have remained high despite well known risk factors. The theory that hypoperfusion of the pancreatic stump leads to anastomotic failure has recently gained interest. AIM: To define the published literature with regards to intraoperative pancreas perfusion assessment and its correlation with POPF. METHODS: A systematic search of available literature was performed in November 2022. Data extracted included study characteristics, method of assessment of pancreas stump perfusion, POPF and other post-pancreatic surgery specific complications. RESULTS: Five eligible studies comprised two prospective non-randomised studies and three case reports, total 156 patients. Four studies used indocyanine green fluorescence angiography to assess the pancreatic stump, with the remaining study assessing pancreas perfusion by visual inspection of arterial bleeding of the pancreatic stump. There was significant heterogeneity in the definition of POPF. Studies had a combined POPF rate of 12%; intraoperative perfusion assessment revealed hypoperfusion was present in 39% of patients who developed POPF. The rate of POPF was 11% in patients with no evidence of hypoperfusion and 13% in those with evidence of hypoperfusion, suggesting that not all hypoperfusion gives rise to POPF and further analysis is required to analyse if there is a clinically relevant cut off. Significant variance in practice was seen in the pancreatic stump management once hypoperfusion was identified. CONCLUSION: The current published evidence around pancreas perfusion during pancreaticoduodenectomy is of poor quality. It does not support a causative link between hypoperfusion and POPF. Further well-designed prospective studies are required to investigate this.

Sarcopenia and Sarcopenic Obesity on Body Composition Analysis is a Significant Predictor of Mortality in Severe Acute Pancreatitis: A Longitudinal Observational Study.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence and impact of sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity noted on body composition analysis in severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) is unknown. This study investigates the prevalence of sarcopenia at different timepoints and its effect on post-pancreatitis complications and mortality. METHODS: A prospective database of SAP admissions with organ failure at a single institution from 2015 to 2019 were analysed. Sarcopenia was determined by IMAGE J software on CT. Database was further queried for post-pancreatitis complications and mortality. RESULTS: 141 patients with a median age of 59 (range 18-88) and M:F ratio 1.52:1 of were analysed. Sarcopenia was present in 111/141 (79%) patients at admission, 78/79 (99%) at 3 months and 26/36 (72%) at 12 months. 67/111 patients with sarcopenia on admission had sarcopenic obesity. The mortality at 30 days, 3 months and 12 months was 16/141 (11%), 30/141 (21%) and 42/141 (30%) respectively. Mortality was significantly higher in sarcopenic patients at admission (35.14%) compared to the non-sarcopenic group (10%), P = 0.008). Mortality in the sarcopenic obesity group was significantly higher (45%) compared to the sarcopenic non-obese group (20%), P = 0.009) at admission. Multivariate logistic regression identified sarcopenic obesity (OR: 2.880), age (OR: 1.048) and number of organ failures (OR: 3.225) as significant predictors of mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Sarcopenia and Sarcopenic obesity are highly prevalent in SAP patients on admission and during follow up. Furthermore, sarcopenic obesity was shown to be a significant predictor of mortality at admission, suggesting that body composition analysis could be a potential predictive marker of mortality in SAP patients.

Intra-observer agreements in multidisciplinary team assessments of pancreatic cancer patients.

BACKGROUND AND METHODS: Treatment strategies for pancreatic cancer patients are made by a multidisciplinary team (MDT) board. We aimed to assess intra-observer variance at MDT boards. Participating units staged, assessed resectability, and made treatment allocations for the same patients as they did two years earlier. We disseminated clinical information and CT images of pancreatic cancer patients judged by one MDT board to have nonmetastatic pancreatic cancer to the participating units. All units were asked to re-assess the TNM stage, resectability, and treatment allocation for each patient. To assess intra-observer variance, we computed %-agreements for each participating unit, defined as low (<50%), moderate (50%-75%), and high (>75%) agreement. RESULTS: Eighteen patients were re-assessed by six MDT boards. The overall agreement was moderate for TNM-stage (ranging from 50%-70%) and resectability assessment (53%) but low for treatment allocation (46%). Agreement on resectability assessments was low to moderate. Findings were similar but more pronounced for treatment allocation. We observed a shift in treatment strategy towards increasing use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, particularly in patients with borderline resectable and locally advanced tumors. CONCLUSIONS: We found substantial intra-observer agreement variations across six different MDT boards of 18 pancreatic cancer patients with two years between the first and second assessment.

The Macrophage Activation Marker Soluble CD163 is Associated With Early Allograft Dysfunction After Liver Transplantation.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Soluble CD163 (sCD163), a macrophage activation marker, is upregulated in conditions of macrophage proliferation and activation. Elevated sCD163 levels have been associated with liver disease severity and progression. During liver transplantation, the implanted liver is exposed to ischaemia and reperfusion injury, resulting in an acute inflammatory response and macrophage activation. The relationship between sCD163 levels during liver transplantation and the development of early allograft dysfunction (EAD) has not been investigated. METHODS: We included 27 cirrhosis patients (age 55 [range 32-72] years, 23 men) on the waiting list for liver transplantation. Alcohol consumption and viral hepatitis were the most frequent causes for cirrhosis. Patients were characterised by standard biochemical analysis and based on clinical disease severity scores. Information about donor, graft and course of the liver transplantation was recorded. sCD163 levels were measured at the time of liver transplantation before surgery, 2 h after reperfusion, and then at 24 h after transplantation. RESULTS: We observed above-normal sCD163 levels at baseline (5.9 mg/L [4.7-8.8]). Two hours after reperfusion, sCD163 levels increased significantly from baseline (8.4 mg/L [7.4-10.9]; P < 0.01). Twenty-four hours after transplantation, sCD163 levels were significantly reduced compared with baseline (3.7 mg/L [2.9-5.5]; P < 0.01). However, in patients with EAD (n = 16), sCD163 levels were increased compared with patients without EAD (4.1 [3.2-7.4] vs. 3.1 [2.8-3.8] mg/L; P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: We observed elevated sCD163 levels in patients with EAD after liver transplantation, confirming macrophage activation to play a role in EAD. Thus, sCD163 may be used as an early marker for EAD after liver transplantation, but larger studies are warranted to validate these findings.

Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin (NGAL) in predicting acute kidney injury following orthotopic liver transplantation: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is common after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) usually occurring early post-transplant. Multiple causes include graft preservation injury, blood loss, hypotension but also severity of recipient liver disease. Early intervention in AKI has both short and long term patient benefits. Unfortunately there are no current clinical biomarkers of early AKI. AIM: To assess the value of NGAL in predicting AKI following OLT. METHODS: Ovid MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched between the years of 2000 and 2017 for studies using keywords: Neutrophil Gelatinase Associated Lipocalin or NGAL variants combined with synonyms for liver transplantation. RESULTS: 96 studies were identified. 11 studies including 563 patients were considered suitable for analysis. Both urinary (uNGAL) and plasma NGAL (pNGAL) measurement were found to predict AKI after liver transplantation. Optimal reported area under the receiver-operator characteristics curve (AUROC) values of 0.5-0.83 and 0.54-0.86 respectively. CONCLUSIONS: NGAL is a good predictor of early AKI post OLT although there is considerable variation in the published results. Further studies with prospectively defined cut-off values, standardized definitions of AKI and rigorous data reporting should be conducted to establish its clinical usefulness and limitations.

Anaemia in patients with chronic liver disease and its association with morbidity and mortality following liver transplantation.

Pre-operative anaemia and the need for intra-operative transfusion have been associated with increased morbidity and mortality following cardiac and major non-cardiac surgery. Anaemia is highly prevalent in patients with severe chronic liver disease. Whether this correlates with an altered morbidity and mortality following liver transplant has not been established. METHODS: Prospectively collected data was analysed for the period 1998-2012. Donor and recipient characteristics, blood profiles and complications were recorded. Graft and patient survival was calculated. All patients were followed up for 1 year or until death. Pre-operative haemoglobin levels were correlated with patient demographics and outcome using a binary logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Pre-operative anaemia, according to WHO criteria, occurred in 73% of patients. Anaemia was more common with advanced liver disease (higher MELD score). As MELD score increased, Haemoglobin levels dropped. Anaemic patients were more commonly transfused (p < 0.001), spent longer ventilated (7 day vs 5 days, p = 0.005) and required longer ITU stays (8 days vs 6 days, p = 0.015). Pre-operative anaemia did not correlate with patient morbidity or mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Reduced haemoglobin levels reflect the severity of chronic liver disease but are not an independent risk factor for a poor outcome following liver transplantation.

An Evaluation of Ischaemic Preconditioning as a Method of Reducing Ischaemia Reperfusion Injury in Liver Surgery and Transplantation.

Liver Ischaemia Reperfusion (IR) injury is a major cause of post-operative liver dysfunction, morbidity and mortality following liver resection surgery and transplantation. There are no proven therapies for IR injury in clinical practice and new approaches are required. Ischaemic Preconditioning (IPC) can be applied in both a direct and remote fashion and has been shown to ameliorate IR injury in small animal models. Its translation into clinical practice has been difficult, primarily by a lack of knowledge regarding the dominant protective mechanisms that it employs. A review of all current studies would suggest that IPC/RIPC relies on creating a small tissue injury resulting in the release of adenosine and l-arginine which act through the Adenosine receptors and the haem-oxygenase and endothelial nitric oxide synthase systems to reduce hepatocyte necrosis and improve the hepatic microcirculation post reperfusion. The next key step is to determine how long the stimulus requires to precondition humans to allow sufficient injury to occur to release the potential mediators. This would open the door to a new therapeutic chapter in this field.

Determining the outcomes of post-mastectomy radiation therapy delivered to the definitive implant in patients undergoing one- and two-stage implant-based breast reconstruction: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Post-mastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT) is known to increase the complication rate and implant loss in implant-based breast reconstruction. The purpose of this study was to systematically review the literature regarding the outcome of PMRT delivered to the permanent/definitive implant. METHODS: Systematic review and meta-analysis of studies involving immediate implant-based reconstruction and PMRT when delivered to the permanent implant. RESULTS: Seven studies included 2921 patients (520 PMRT, 2401 control). PMRT was associated with significant increase in capsular contracture (7 studies, 2529 patients, 494 PMRT, 2035 control, OR 10.21, 95% CI 3.74 to 27.89, p < 0.00001). In addition, PMRT was associated with a significant increase in revisional surgery (7 studies, 2921 patients, 520 PMRT, 2401 control, OR 2.18, 95% CI 1.33 to 3.57, p = 0.002) and reconstructive failure (6 studies, 2814 patients, 496 PMRT, 2318 control, OR 2.52, 95% CI 1.48 to 4.29, p+0.0007). Moreover, it was associated with a significant reduction in patient satisfaction (4 studies, 468 patients, 138 PMRT, 294 control, OR 0.29, 95% CI 0.15 to 0.57, p = 0.0003) and cosmetic outcome (4 studies, 1317 patients, 238 PMRT, 1009 control, OR 28, 95% CI. 0.11 to 0.67, p = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis demonstrates that within the first 5 years, post implant-based reconstruction for those patients who receive PMRT, the rates of adverse events are increased, and there is a significant reduction in patient satisfaction and cosmetic outcome.

Remote ischaemic preconditioning in orthotopic liver transplantation (RIPCOLT trial): a pilot randomized controlled feasibility study.

BACKGROUND: Ischaemia Reperfusion (IR) injury is a major cause of morbidity, mortality and graft loss following Orthotopic Liver Transplantation (OLT). Utilising marginal grafts, which are more susceptible to IR injury, makes this a key research goal. Remote Ischaemic Preconditioning (RIPC) has been shown to ameliorate hepatic IR injury in experimental models. Whether RIPC can reduce IR injury in human liver transplant recipients is unknown. METHODS: Forty patients undergoing liver transplantation were randomized to RIPC or a sham. RIPC was induced through three 5 min cycles of alternate ischaemia and reperfusion of the left leg prior to surgery. Data on clinical outcomes was collected prospectively. Per-operative cytokine levels were measured. RESULTS: Fourty five of 51 patients approached (88%) were willing to enroll in the study. Five patients were excluded and 40 randomized, of which 20 underwent RIPC which was successfully completed in all patients. There were no complications following RIPC. Median day 3 AST levels were slightly higher in the RIPC group (221 IU vs 149 IU, p = 1.00). CONCLUSIONS: RIPC is acceptable and safe in liver transplant recipients. This study has not demonstrated evidence of a reduction in short-term measures of IR injury. Longer follow up will be required and consideration of an altered protocol.

Effect of Remote Ischaemic Preconditioning on Liver Injury in Patients Undergoing Major Hepatectomy for Colorectal Liver Metastasis: A Pilot Randomised Controlled Feasibility Trial.

BACKGROUND: Liver resection produces excellent long-term survival for patients with colorectal liver metastases but is associated with significant morbidity and mortality from ischaemia reperfusion injury (IRI). Remote ischaemic preconditioning (RIPC) can reduce the effect of IRI. This pilot randomised controlled trial evaluated RIPC in patients undergoing major hepatectomy at the Royal Free Hospital, London. METHODS: Sixteen patients were randomised to RIPC or sham control. RIPC was induced through three 10-min cycles of alternate ischaemia and reperfusion to the leg. At baseline and immediately post-resection, transaminases and indocyanine green (ICG) clearance were measured. FINDINGS: The RIPC group had lower ALT and AST levels immediately post-resection (ALT: 43% lower 497 ± 165 vs 889 ± 170 IU/L; p = 0.019 AST: 54% lower 408 ± 166 vs 836 ± 167 IU/L; p = 0.001) and at 24 h (ALT: 41% lower 412 ± 144 vs 698 ± 137 IU/L; p = 0.026 AST: 50% lower 316 ± 116 vs 668 ± 115 IU/L; p = 0.02). ICG clearance was reduced in controls versus RIPC immediately after resection (ICG-PDR: 11.1 ± 1.1 vs 16.5 ± 1.4%/min; p = 0.035). CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study shows that RIPC has potential to reduce liver injury following hepatectomy justifying a prospective RCT powered to demonstrate clinical benefits.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of donor ischaemic preconditioning in liver transplantation.

Ischaemic preconditioning (IPC) is a strategy to reduce ischaemia-reperfusion (IR) injury. Its benefit in human liver transplantation is unclear. The aim of this study was to analyse the current evidence for donor IPC in liver transplantation. Systematic review and meta-analysis of studies involving IPC of liver transplant donors. Ovid Medline, Embase and Cochrane CENTRAL were searched up until January 2015. Data retrieved included the primary outcomes of 1-year mortality, incidence of primary graft non-function (PGNF) and retransplantation. Secondary outcomes included aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels on day 3 post-op. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) were calculated for dichotomous data and mean weighted ratios for continuous data. Ten studies included 593 patients (286 IPC; 307 control). IPC was associated with a reduction in mortality at 1 year (6% vs. 11%) although this was not statistically significant (OR 0.54, 95% C.I. 0.28-1.04, P = 0.06). The IPC group had a significantly lower day 3 AST level (WMD -66.41iU, P = 0.04). This meta-analysis demonstrates that IPC reduces liver injury following transplantation and produces a large reduction in 1-year mortality which was not statistically significant. Confirmation of clinical benefit from IPC requires an adequately powered prospective RCT.

A network meta-analysis comparing perioperative outcomes of interventions aiming to decrease ischemia reperfusion injury during elective liver resection.

OBJECTIVE: This study sought to compare the perioperative outcomes of interventions aiming to decrease ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury during elective liver resection. METHOD: A comprehensive literature search was performed to identify randomized controlled trials. A Bayesian network meta-analysis was performed using the Markov chain Monte Carlo method in WinBUGS following the guidelines of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence Decision Support Unit. Odds ratios for binary outcomes and mean differences for continuous outcomes were calculated using a fixed effect model or a random effects model according to model fit. RESULTS: Forty-four trials with 2,457 patients having undergone liver resection were included and were divided into 8 classes of interventions aimed at decreasing IR injury and a control group, which was hepatectomy alone. There was no difference between the different interventions in mortality, quantity of blood transfusion, and durations of stay in an intensive therapy unit between any pairwise comparisons. Patients treated with ischemic preconditioning, cardiovascular modulators, and miscellaneous interventions had significantly fewer serious adverse events compared with patients undergoing liver resection alone. Ischemic preconditioning patients had significantly fewer transfusion proportions and shorter operative time than patients treated with steroids. Ischemic preconditioning had significantly less operative blood loss compared with all other interventions, and a lesser duration of hospital stay than hepatectomy alone. Sensitivity analysis showed that the drugs sevoflurane (a volatile anesthetic), verapamil (a calcium channel blocker), and gabexate mesilate (a thrombin inhibitor) produced fewer serious adverse events compared with hepatectomy alone. CONCLUSION: Ischemic preconditioning resulted in multiple beneficial clinical endpoints and further RCTs seem to be needed to confirm its clinical benefits.

Profiles of biomarkers of excess alcohol consumption in patients undergoing total hip replacement: correlation with function.

AIMS: Patients who misuse alcohol may be at increased risk of surgical complications and poorer function following hip replacement. Identification and intervention may lead to harm reduction and improve the outcomes of surgery. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of biomarker elevation in patients undergoing hip replacement and to investigate any correlation with functional scores and complications. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study that examined the profile of biomarkers of alcohol misuse in 1049 patients undergoing hip replacement. Results. Gamma-glutamyltransferase was elevated in 150 (17.6%), and mean corpuscular volume was elevated in 23 (4%). At one year general physical health was poorer where there was elevation of γGT, and the mental health and hip function was poorer with elevation of MCV. There were no differences in complications. DISCUSSION: Raised biomarkers can alert clinicians to potential problems. They also provide an opportunity to perform further investigation and offer intervention. Future research should focus on the use in orthopaedic practice of validated screening questionnaires and more sensitive biomarkers of alcohol misuse. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates a potential substantial proportion of unrecognised alcohol misuse that is associated with poorer functional scores in patients after total hip replacement.