Staging and surgical approaches in gastric cancer: a clinical practice guideline.

BACKGROUND: Resection is the cornerstone of cure for gastric adenocarcinoma; however, several aspects of surgical intervention remain controversial or are suboptimally applied at a population level, including staging, extent of lymphadenectomy (lnd), minimum number of lymph nodes that have to be assessed, gross resection margins, use of minimally invasive surgery, and relationship of surgical volumes with patient outcomes and resection in stage iv gastric cancer. METHODS: Literature searches were conducted in databases including medline (up to 10 June 2016), embase (up to week 24 of 2016), the Cochrane Library and various other practice guideline sites and guideline developer Web sites. A practice guideline was developed. RESULTS: One guideline, seven systematic reviews, and forty-eight primary studies were included in the evidence base for this guidance document. Seven recommendations are presented. CONCLUSIONS: All patients should be discussed at a multidisciplinary team meeting, and computed tomography (ct) imaging of chest and abdomen should always be performed when staging patients. Diagnostic laparoscopy is useful in the determination of M1 disease not visible on ct images. A D2 lnd is preferred for curative-intent resection of gastric cancer. At least 16 lymph nodes should be assessed for adequate staging of curative-resected gastric cancer. Gastric cancer surgery should aim to achieve an R0 resection margin. In the metastatic setting, surgery should be considered only for palliation of symptoms. Patients should be referred to higher-volume centres and those that have adequate support to manage potential complications. Laparoscopic resections should be performed to the same standards as those for open resections, by surgeons who are experienced in both advanced laparoscopic surgery and gastric cancer management.

Management and outcomes of localized esophageal and gastroesophageal junction cancer in older patients.

BACKGROUND: Older patients are commonly excluded from clinical trials in esophageal and gastroesophageal junction (gej) cancer. High-level evidence to guide management in this group is lacking. In the present study, we compared outcomes and described tolerance for curative- and noncurative-intent treatments among patients 70 years of age and older. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed all patients 70 years of age and older diagnosed with localized esophageal and gej cancer at our centre between 2005 and 2012. RESULTS: The 74 patients identified had a median age of 77 years. Of those patients, 62% received curative-intent treatment, consisting mostly of concomitant chemoradiation therapy (n = 43, 93%). Median overall survival for patients receiving curative-intent treatment was 18.6 months [95% confidence interval (ci): 13.0 to 28.0 months], with 23% being long-term survivors (95% ci: 11.3% to 36.7%). In contrast, patients receiving noncurative-intent treatment had a median overall survival of 8.8 months (95% ci: 6.7 to 11.9 months), with none being long-term survivors (p < 0.0001). Improvement of dysphagia was seen after curative (81%) or palliative radiotherapy (78%) in symptomatic patients, and toxicities were manageable. The odds of not receiving curative treatment was higher by a factor of 8.5 among patients 80 years of age or older compared with those 70-79 years of age (95% ci: 2.5 to 28.7). CONCLUSIONS: In managing older patients with esophageal and gej cancer, curative-intent treatment (compared with noncurative-intent treatment) leads to a significant survival benefit with a reasonable toxicity profile. Informed counselling of patients and their families about a curative treatment approach and efforts to increase awareness among oncology care providers are suggested.

Surgical management of peptic esophageal stricture. Twenty-year experience.

The consensus in the conflict about surgical management of peptic esophageal stricture presently favors conservative antireflux procedures with dilatation rather than resection. However, emphasis is now shifting to the controversy of conservative surgical treatment versus medical management with dilatation alone. We analyzed the influence of seven variables on the postoperative result in 160 patients undergoing antireflux operations with dilatation for peptic esophageal stricture. The mean follow-up is 47 months (range 6 to 240) and the mean age is 57 years (range 13 to 83). One hundred seven patients operated on early in the course of the disease have better results (90% good, 9% fair, 1% poor) than 31 patients having a previous failed operation (52% good, 23% fair, 26% poor) and 22 patients having multiple dilatations (45% good, 23% fair, 32% poor) (p less than 0.05). Intraoperative manometry improves results (p less than 0.05), and postoperative reflux has a negative influence on results (p less than 0.05). The postoperative lower esophageal sphincter pressure in patients without reflux (17.7 +/- 1.3 mm Hg) is higher than in those with reflux (8.9 +/- 0.8 mm Hg, p less than 0.05) and is an accurate predictor of the risk of reflux (p less than 0.001). Intraoperative and postoperative sphincter pressures are objective indicators of outcome but because of variability are not predictive (p less than 0.05). The presence of Barrett's esophagus and the age and sex of patients do not alter outcome. Adenocarcinoma did not develop in patients with Barrett's esophagus once reflux was eliminated. This information indicates that conservative antireflux operation with dilatation is the treatment of choice in patients with peptic esophageal stricture.

Neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser vaporization for palliation of obstructing esophageal carcinoma.

Palliative therapy for obstructing esophageal carcinoma is more often necessary than curative surgery. The neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser was used for vaporization of obstructing esophageal carcinoma in 18 patients requiring 24 treatments. Three women and 15 men (age range 42 to 87 years) had esophageal carcinoma (seven squamous cell and nine adenocarcinoma). Twelve tumors were at the esophagogastric junction, four at the midesophagus, and two in the cervical esophagus. Lengths varied from 3 to 7 cm. Inoperability was due to diffuse metastases in eight patients, local invasion in five, poor operative risk in one patient, and patient refusal for operative treatment in four patients. Energy use was 1000 to 22,600 J per session (mean 6120 J). Good results were achieved in 16 patients (88.9%): Seven returned to full diet, five to soft diet, and four to full fluids without dysphagia. Four patients required retreatment 1 to 3 months later because of recurrent dysphagia. One patient was not benefited by the treatment and died of carcinomatosis 1 week later. No intraoperative complications occurred. Postoperatively, one patient had laryngeal edema and another had a bronchoesophageal fistula 3 weeks later. The mean survival time is 3 1/2 months. Neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser vaporization for obstructing esophageal carcinoma is effective palliation regardless of histologic tumor type. It can be performed under direct vision with a low frequency of postoperative complications.

Intraoperative whole-lung torsion producing pulmonary venous infarction.

Pulmonary venous infarction and whole-lung torsion are both rare, life-threatening complications of thoracic operations. A case of whole-lung torsion with resultant pulmonary venous infarction of the entire lung after a nonpulmonary thoracic operation is reported.

Effect of obesity on esophageal transit.

Esophageal transit time as measured by radionuclide scintigraphy using a swallowed technetium sulfur colloid bolus was measured in obese patients with gastroesophageal reflux, lean patients with reflux, and lean volunteers without reflux. The esophageal transit time was significantly prolonged in the obese group compared with both lean groups (p less than 0.001). Esophageal manometric measurement also confirmed that obese patients have an elevated gastroesophageal pressure gradient, presumably caused by increased intraabdominal pressure resulting from the mechanical burden of excess fat. The esophageal transit time is significantly related to the gastroesophageal pressure gradient. This finding, coupled with those in previous manometric investigations showing that esophageal muscle has a decreased maximum velocity with increasing afterload, explains in part why obese patients have delayed esophageal transit time. Therapy for reflux in obese patients should be aimed at improving esophageal transit.

Enteral feeding in esophageal surgery.

Malnutrition is frequently associated with esophageal cancer. To maintain and improve nutrition during the stress of esophagectomy early postoperative enteral feeding was used in surgical patients. Minor complications such as jejunal tube dislodgment, metabolic derangements, and feeding-related gastrointestinal complications occurred, all of which were easily corrected. Nutritional status was maintained or improved in most patients and the actual cost compared to a calculated cost of an equinitrogenous, equicaloric parenteral solution was much less.

Treatment of extraesophageal manifestations of gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Extraesophageal manifestations of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) include chronic cough, asthma and 'acid' laryngitis. The response to medical and/or surgical therapy of these conditions is highly variable and often delayed. Of patients with GERD-related symptoms, those with extraesophageal manifestations are some of the most difficult to treat. Histamine antagonists, proton pump inhibitors and antireflux surgery have all been used to treat GERD-related asthma with variable results. Asthma patients who do not respond to high-dose acid suppression may be refractory to all forms of therapy. GERD is the third most common cause of chronic cough, and therapeutic results with acid suppression and antireflux surgery are variable. Posterior laryngitis presents as chronic hoarseness and has been shown to resolve clinically and histologically with acid suppression therapy or antireflux surgery. Results are variable, and controlled trials are lacking.

Anastomotic and regional blood flow following esophagogastrectomy in an opossum model.

Adenocarcinoma of the esophagus is increasing in incidence. The primary treatment is surgical resection, which is associated with considerable risk of anastomotic dehiscence and stricture. Decreased blood flow has been suggested as one of the factors contributing to these anastomotic failures. Our hypothesis was that anastomotic blood flow was decreased secondary to gastric and esophageal mobilization and would be increased by endogenous nitric oxide. Five opossums underwent esophagogastrectomy. Gastric and esophageal blood flow was measured following laparotomy, esophageal and gastric mobilization, esophagogastric resection and anastomosis, and L-arginine infusion. Radioactive microspheres were used to measure blood flow in the mucosa and muscularis of the esophagogastric anastomosis, esophagus, and stomach. Contrary to our hypothesis, blood flow in the anastomosis was maintained if not increased following esophagogastrectomy. However, the blood flow to the gastric mucosa adjacent to the anastomosis may be decreased. This suggests a possible redistribution of gastric blood flow to supply the anastomosis. If prolonged, this may contribute to poor anastomotic healing. L-Arginine infusion had no effect on blood flow at the anastomosis.

A method for recovering a lost retrieval line under direct vision in children with esophageal strictures.

Loss of a retrieval line for repeated esophageal dilations for caustic esophageal stricture may result in inability to dilate these strictures. We describe a simple means for retrieving such a line once it has been removed.

Educational aspects of mathematics disabilities.

Research suggests that students with learning disabilities have significant difficulty acquiring and retaining math skills. A variety of factors seem to be contributing to the poor math performance of these individuals. The purpose of this article is to discuss these factors and make recommendations that will enhance the likelihood of better math performance. The article begins with a discussion of national reform movements that have influenced math instruction (i.e., National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Standards, minimum competency testing, graduation requirements, inclusion). Next, learner characteristics are reviewed, then issues related to math instruction are described. Finally, ways to improve current practices in math education are discussed.

Grooved director aids fascial enlargement and closure.

Gallbladder retrieval following laparoscopic cholecystectomy through the umbilical or epigastric port site is at times tedious, may result in gallbladder perforation from excessive tearing forces applied to the gallbladder or from instrumental perforation while attempting to enlarge the fascia and is very "low tech" compared to the laparoscopic procedure. Port-site herniae develop when the fascia at either site is not closed adequately with sutures because of inadequate vision through the small incision and the concern for inadvertent injury to the tissues underlying the fascia. This study reports the use of a simple instrument, a spoon-shaped grooved director, to aid both the fascial enlargement and the fascial closure. The instrument has been used in more than 30 laparoscopic cholecystectomies and has been found to be simple, safe and effective for fascial enlargement and closure. This reusable instrument should be used routinely for laparoscopic cholecystectomy but offers significant advantages in the obese individual.

Counseling approaches used with emotionally handicapped children.

Children identified with emotional handicaps manifest a variety of educational and behavioral problems. This paper presents the major counseling techniques that may be used with these children. Basic goals and methods of each approach, applicability for emotionally handicapped students, and training necessary for the practitioner also are discussed.

Problems+Solutions.

Readers are invited to submit questions relating to problem cases. Inquiries will be answered by qualified consultants and replies forwarded by mail promptly. Selected problems and solutions are published every month in this section.

Reoperation after failed esophagomyotomy for achalasia.

Of 49 patients with achalasia treated surgically between 1975 and 1985, 12 (8 women, 4 men) had undergone transthoracic esophagomyotomy previously. Four had had concomitant upper gastrointestinal surgery. All 12 patients complained of dysphagia; other symptoms included regurgitation, nocturnal aspiration, heartburn, chest pain, vomiting, upper gastrointestinal bleeding and weight loss. The average time from initial operation to onset of symptoms was 9 months. Preoperative investigations and operative findings identified the cause of dysphagia as inadequate or healed esophagomyotomy with persistent or recurrent achalasia (eight patients--two had partially disrupted fundoplications contributing to their dysphagia), hiatus hernia with reflux esophagitis causing esophageal spasm or peptic esophageal stricture (two patients) and incorrect initial diagnosis and treatment (two patients). Treatment, with the aid of intraoperative manometry, included repeat Heller myotomy (five patients), Hill antireflux repair (four patients), takedown of Nissen fundoplication and extension of myotomy (two patients). The average follow-up was 16 months. Eight patients had good results, two required further operation and one underwent multiple dilatations postoperatively. The causes of recurrent dysphagia following surgery for achalasia are diverse and patients require individualized investigation and treatment. Remedial surgery for achalasia can correct postoperative dysphagia but results are less successful than those following an adequate initial operation.