Clinical outcomes of patients with complicated post-operative course after gastrectomy for cancer: a GIRCG study using the GASTRODATA registry.

Gastrectomy for gastric cancer is still performed in Western countries with high morbidity and mortality. Post-operative complications are frequent, and effective diagnosis and treatment of complications is crucial to lower the mortality rates. In 2015, a project was launched by the EGCA with the aim of building an agreement on list and definitions of post-operative complications specific for gastrectomy. In 2018, the platform www.gastrodata.org was launched for collecting cases by utilizing this new complication list. In the present paper, the Italian Research Group for Gastric Cancer endorsed a collection of complicated cases in the period 2015-2019, with the aim of investigating the clinical pictures, diagnostic modalities, and treatment approaches, as well as outcome measures of patients experiencing almost one post-operative complication. Fifteen centers across Italy provided 386 cases with a total of 538 complications (mean 1.4 complication/patient). The most frequent complications were non-surgical infections (gastrointestinal, pulmonary, and urinary) and anastomotic leaks, accounting for 29.2% and 17.3% of complicated patients, with a median Clavien-Dindo score of II and IIIB, respectively. Overall mortality of this series was 12.4%, while mortality of patients with anastomotic leak was 25.4%. The clinical presentation with systemic septic signs, the timing of diagnosis, and the hospital volume were the most relevant factors influencing outcome.

Antibiotic Prophylaxis for Hepato-Biliopancreatic Surgery-A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Surgical site infections (SSIs) are among the most important determinants of morbidity after HBP surgery. Their frequency after HPB surgery is variable, from 1-2% after elective cholecystectomy to 25% after PD. METHODS: A systematic review was performed to assess the role of antimicrobial prophylaxis (AP) in HPB elective surgery. Articles published between 2015 and 2021 were obtained; those before 2015 were not included because they antedate the WHO guidelines on SSI prevention. We conducted three different research methods for liver resection, elective cholecystectomy and pancreatic and biliary surgery regarding patients requiring preoperative biliary drainage. RESULTS: Hepatic surgery, improvement in surgical technique and perioperative management lead to a very low SSI. One preoperative 2 g cefazolin dose may be adequate for surgical prophylaxis. From preoperative biliary drainage, we can derive that patients' homeostasis rather than AP plays a paramount role in reducing postoperative morbidity. The time from biliary drainage could be an essential element in decision making for surgical prophylaxis. In the case of low-risk cholecystectomy, it is not easy to draw definitive conclusions about the effect of AP. Data from the literature are inconsistent, and some risk factors cannot be predicted before surgery. CONCLUSION: in our opinion, a strict preoperative cefazolin dose strategy can be reasonable in HBP surgery until a large-scale, multicentric RCT brings definitive conclusions.

Efficacy of Surgery for the Treatment of Gastric Cancer Liver Metastases: A Systematic Review of the Literature and Meta-Analysis of Prognostic Factors.

BACKGROUND: In the last 10 years, the management of patients with gastric cancer liver metastases (GCLM) has changed from chemotherapy alone, towards a multidisciplinary treatment with liver surgery playing a leading role. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to assess the efficacy of hepatectomy for GCLM and to analyze the impact of related prognostic factors on long-term outcomes. METHODS: The databases PubMed (Medline), EMBASE, and Google Scholar were searched for relevant articles from January 2010 to September 2020. We included prospective and retrospective studies that reported the outcomes after hepatectomy for GCLM. A systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis of prognostic factors was performed. RESULTS: We included 40 studies, including 1573 participants who underwent hepatic resection for GCLM. Post-operative morbidity and 30-day mortality rates were 24.7% and 1.6%, respectively. One-year, 3-years, and 5-years overall survival (OS) were 72%, 37%, and 26%, respectively. The 1-year, 3-years, and 5-years disease-free survival (DFS) were 44%, 24%, and 22%, respectively. Well-moderately differentiated tumors, pT1-2 and pN0-1 adenocarcinoma, R0 resection, the presence of solitary metastasis, unilobar metastases, metachronous metastasis, and chemotherapy were all strongly positively associated to better OS and DFS. CONCLUSION: In the present study, we demonstrated that hepatectomy for GCLM is feasible and provides benefits in terms of long-term survival. Identification of patient subgroups that could benefit from surgical treatment is mandatory in a multidisciplinary setting.

Preoperative or Perioperative Docetaxel, Oxaliplatin, and Capecitabine (GASTRODOC Regimen) in Patients with Locally-Advanced Resectable Gastric Cancer: A Randomized Phase-II Trial.

Docetaxel associated with oxaliplatin and 5-fluorouracil (FLOT) has been reported as the best perioperative treatment for gastric cancer. However, there is still some debate about the most appropriate number and timing of chemotherapy cycles. In this randomized multicenter phase II study, patients with resectable gastric cancer were staged through laparoscopy and peritoneal lavage cytology, and randomly assigned (1:1) to either four cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (arm A) or two preoperative + two postoperative cycles of docetaxel, oxaliplatin, and capecitabine (DOC) chemotherapy (arm B). The primary endpoint was to assess the percentage of patients receiving all the planned preoperative or perioperative chemotherapeutic cycles. Ninety-one patients were enrolled between September 2010 and August 2016. The treatment was well tolerated in both arms. Thirty-three (71.7%) and 24 (53.3%) patients completed the planned cycles in arms A and B, respectively (p = 0.066), reporting an odds ratio for early interruption of treatment of 0.45 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.18-1.07). Resection was curative in 39 (88.6%) arm A patients and 35 (83.3%) arm B patients. Five-year progression-free survival (PFS) was 51.2% (95% CI: 34.2-65.8) in arm A and 40.3% (95% CI: 28.9-55.2) in arm B (p = 0.300). Five-year survival was 58.5% (95% CI: 41.3-72.2) and 53.9% (95% CI: 35.5-69.3) (p = 0.883) in arms A and B, respectively. The planned treatment was more frequently completed and was more active, albeit not significantly, in the neoadjuvant arm than in the perioperative group.

Prognostic Role of Primary Tumor Location in Non-Metastatic Gastric Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 50 Studies.

INTRODUCTION: The incidence of gastric cancer (GC) arising in the upper third of the stomach, including the cardia or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ), has increased in the last decades due to established etiological risk factors such as diet, obesity, and gastroesophageal reflux. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the prognostic role of site of origin in patients with proximal versus distal GC. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We conducted a search of the PubMed, Cochrane Library, SCOPUS, Web of Science, EMBASE, Google Scholar, LILACS, and CINAHL databases from inception to September 2016. Studies reporting data on the independent prognostic effect of site in GC and comparing overall survival (OS) in proximal versus distal tumors were eligible. Data were pooled using OS hazard ratios (HRs) of proximal versus distal GC according to fixed- or random-effect model. RESULTS: Overall, 50 studies including 128,268 patients were identified. Cancers located in the upper third of the stomach were associated with a significantly increased risk of all-cause mortality (HR 1.31, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.17-1.46, p < 0.001, I 2 = 91%). After exclusion of GEJ tumors, prognosis was worse for pure cardia location (HR 1.39, 95% CI 1.22-1.58, p < 0.001, I 2 = 61%) compared with proximal or upper-third GCs without a specific subsite definition (HR 1.18, 95% CI 1.01-1.37, p = 0.04, I 2 = 91%). CONCLUSIONS: Location of the primary GC in the upper third of the stomach, particularly at the GEJ/cardia, should be acknowledged as an important prognostic factor. Based on these results, more effective treatment strategies for proximal GCs are needed.

Prognostic value of diffuse versus intestinal histotype in patients with gastric cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: There are two distinct types of gastric carcinoma (GC), intestinal, more frequently sporadic and linked to environmental factors, and diffuse (undifferentiated) that is highly metastatic and characterized by rapid disease progression and a poor prognosis. However, there are many conflicting data in the literature concerning the association between histology and prognosis in GC. This meta-analysis was performed to provide demonstration if histology according to Lauren classification is associated with different prognosis in patients with GC. METHODS: We searched PubMed, the Cochrane Library, SCOPUS, Web of Science, CINAHL, and EMBASE for all eligible studies. The combined hazard ratios (HRs) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) in terms of overall survival (OS) were evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 73 published studies including 61,468 patients with GC were included in this meta-analysis. Our analysis indicates that GC patients with diffuse-type histology have a worst prognosis than those with intestinal subgroup in all studies (HR 1.23; 95% CI, 1.17-1.29; P<0.0001), in both loco-regional confined (HR 1.21; 95% CI, 1.12-1.30; P<0.0001) and advanced disease (HR 1.25; 95% CI, 1.046-1.50; P=0.014), in Asiatic (HR 1.2; 95% CI, 1.14-1.27; P<0.0001) and Western patients (HR 1.3; 95% CI, 1.19-1.41; P<0.0001), and in those not exposed (HR 1.15; 95% CI, 1.07-1.24; P<0.0001) or exposed (HR 1.27; 95% CI, 1.17-1.37; P<0.0001) to (neo)adjuvant therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicated that histology might be a useful prognostic marker for both early and advanced GC patients, with intestinal-type associated with a better outcome. This information could be used for stratification purpose in future clinical trials.

Predictive factors for the diagnosis of severe acute cholecystitis in an emergency setting.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess predictive factors for the diagnosis of severe acute cholecystitis. METHODS: The medical records of 295 patients with pathologically confirmed acute cholecystitis were reviewed. Patients were divided, based on pathology findings, into a group with nonsevere acute cholecystitis and a group with severe acute cholecystitis. Preoperative data were compared by univariate and multivariate analyses. Therefore, diagnostic values were assessed based on the statistically significant predictive factors. The same approach was attempted for differential diagnosis between gangrenous and phlegmonous cholecystitis. RESULTS: Among ten variables found to be significantly different at univariate analysis, four were found to be independent predictive factors of severe acute cholecystitis: fever, distension of the gallbladder, wall edema, and preoperative adverse events. Common bile duct stones were confirmed as a protective factor. Leukocyte count, cardiovascular diseases, age, gender, and diabetes were not found to be significant predictive factors of severe acute cholecystitis. No differences were found in any of the preoperative data by comparing phlegmonous and gangrenous cholecystitis. CONCLUSION: Severe acute cholecystitis may be differentiated preoperatively from nonsevere acute cholecystitis based on clinical and US data, and predictive diagnostic values may be estimated according to the number of observed predictive factors. No differences were found when comparing phlegmonous and gangrenous cholecystitis.

Perianal Paget's disease: presentation of six cases and literature review.

PURPOSE: Extramammary Paget's disease (EMPD) is frequently associated with adnexal or visceral synchronous or metachronous malignancies. Our purpose was to evaluate, retrospectively, the results obtained in six cases of EMPD and to review the literature. METHODS: Six patients with the perianal Paget's disease had been treated in our division between March 1996 and December 2006. In three cases, the disease was confined in the epidermis; in one case, there was a microinvasion of the dermis, while in another one the dermis was infiltrated. The last case was associated to a low rectal adenocarcinoma. All patients underwent wide perianal excision and reconstruction with skin graft. We performed a transanal resection of the rectal adenocarcinoma. A review of the literature from 1990 to 2008 revealed 193 cases of perianal EMPD, 112 were intraepithelial/intradermal while 81 were associated with malignancies. Anorectal adenocarcinoma was already existing in two cases, synchronous in 48, and subsequent to diagnosis in 11. RESULTS: In three cases, the disease recurred locally, but no patient developed metastatic spread. Five patients survived and are free of disease. The review of the literature allows a clear identification of the primitive EMPD and the form associated to anorectal adenocarcinoma and little information about cases associated with synchronous adnexal adenocarcinoma. The Paget's disease can relapse after radical surgery and has a capacity of metastatic spread. CONCLUSIONS: Up to now, no clear guidelines have been established for the diagnosis of EMPD. The association with synchronous or metachronous carcinomas imposes a long-term follow-up with frequent clinical, radiological, and endoscopical controls.

[Treatment of the peritoneal carcinomatosis by cytoreductive surgery and intraperitoneal hyperthermic chemotherapy (IHPC): postoperative morbidity and mortality and short-term follow-up]. / Trattamento della carcinosi peritoneale con chirurgia citoriduttiva e chemioipertermia intraperitoneale (IHPC): morbilità e mortalità postoperatorie e risultati a breve termine.

BACKGROUND: In order to treat the peritoneal carcinomatosis from abdominal neoplasms has been recently proposed complete peritonectomy associated with IntraPeritoneal Hyperthermic Chemotherapy (IHPC). AIM OF THE STUDY: Estimate of postoperative morbidity and mortality and short-term outcome. METHODS: Twenty-four patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis or positive cytology at peritoneal washing were treated in our Department from January 2005 to October 2007. Primary tumor was ovarian carcinoma in ten patients: four cases presented peritoneal surface malignancies (PSM) after any time from hysteroadnexectomy related to primary tumor, six cases synchronous PSM. Primary tumor was gastric cancer in seven patients: the peritoneal washing was positive in four cases and, during follow-up period after gastrectomy, other two cases presented PSM. One patient was previously treated with ovariectomy for ovaric mass that resulted a Krukenberg's tumor of gastric cancer. Primary tumor was pseudomixoma peritonei in four patients; cytoreductive surgery and IHPC was carried as first line therapy in only one patient. Three patients were previously treated for colon carcinoma. IHPC was carried out through abdominopelvic cavity for 60 minutes using a closed abdomen technique. The drugs used were Mitomycin C (3.3 mg/m2/L) and Cisplatin (25 mg/m2/L). The intracavitary mean temperature was 41.8 degrees C. RESULTS: The mean Peritoneal Cancer Index (PCI) was 14. Postoperative major complications occurred in 7 cases (28%), postoperative minor complications occurred in 8 cases (32%). No patients died in the postoperative period. Mean hospital staying was 11.5 days ( 6-35 days). After a median follow-up of 8 months (range 2-34), 14 (58%) patients are alive and 13 are disease free. CONCLUSIONS: Our experience is consistent with other studies for the high rate of postoperative morbidity associated with treatment, but we achieved best results on mortality and post-operative staying. CRS associated with IHPC is a good therapeutic option especially in ovaric-related carcinosis and PMP. It' s still debated whether it could be useful or not in colorectal related carcinosis, whereas there is a general agreement in the un uselessness of this technique in gastric cancer.