Surgical treatment of tertiary hyperparathyroidism: does one fit for all?

Background: Tertiary hyperparathyroidism (3HPT) is defined as a condition of excessive autonomous excretion of intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) with persistent hypercalcemia (>10.5 mg/dL) that lasts for more than 12 months after a successful kidney transplantation, in the context of a long course secondary hyperparathyroidism (2HPT). The chronic high levels of iPTH cause a worsening of graft function, accompanied by systemic symptoms of hypercalcemia. The only curative therapy is parathyroidectomy (PTX). It remains unclear whether total parathyroidectomy with autotransplantation (TPTX-AT) or subtotal parathyroidectomy (SPTX) lead to better outcomes. Aims: The aim of this retrospective, single-institution cohort study is to evaluate the rate of persistent or recurrent disease and postoperative calcium/iPTH disturbances in patients treated with TPTX-AT or SPTX for 3HPT. Methods: A single-center retrospective analysis of 3HPT patients submitted to TPTX-AT or SPTX between 2007-2020 with at least 24 months follow-up was conducted. The outcome parameters included persistence/recurrence of disease, incidence of transitory hypocalcemia, and temporary/permanent hypoparathyroidism. Results: A cohort of 52 patients was analyzed and divided in two groups: 38 (73%) were submitted for TPTX-AT, and 14 patients (27%) were submitted for SPTX. The TPTX-AT population showed lower plasmatic calcium concentrations compared with the SPTX group during the entire follow-up period (p<0.001). There were eight cases (21%) of transitory hypocalcemia in the TPTX-AT group and none in the SPTX group, with p=0.065. Two cases (5%) of temporary hypoparathyroidism occurred in the TPTX-AT group and none in the SPTX group, with p= 0.530. There were no cases of permanent hypoparathyroidism and no cases of persistent disease. No statistical difference was assessed for the recurrence of 3HPT between the TPTX-AT group and the SPTX group (N=1, 3% vs N=1, 7%) (p=0.470). Conclusion: No significative difference was registered between the TPTX-AT and SPTX groups in terms of persistence/recurrence of disease, incidence of transitory hypocalcemia, and temporary/permanent hypoparathyroidism. Mean calcium levels iPTH values were statistically lower among the TPTX-AT group compared with the SPTX group while remaining always in the range of normality.

Hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence in hepatitis C virus-related cirrhosis treated with direct-acting antivirals: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) therapy against hepatitis C viral (HCV) infection has markedly improved the sustained viral response. However, recent studies have suggested an unsuspected high rate of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective case-control study was carried out to investigate the impact of DAAs on tumor recurrence in patients with complete response to HCC treatment within our HCV-related cirrhosis cohort. Patients who received [group 1 (G1), n=22] or not [group 2 (G2), n=49] a DAAs therapy were matched 1 : 2 for age, sex, liver function, HCC stage, and treatment. RESULTS: Initial HCC were mostly Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage A (95% G1, 94% G2). Sustained viral response with DAAs was achieved in 86% of patients. After a similar median overall follow-up time with similar radiologic surveillance after HCC treatment, 41% of patients developed radiologic tumor recurrence in G1 versus 35% of patients in G2 (P=0.7904). There was no significant difference in time to progression between the two groups [12 (9-16) months G1 vs. 14 (8-21) months G2, P=0.7688], or Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage at recurrence. However, the interval between HCC treatment and antiviral therapy was significantly different among DAAs patients with recurrence and those without recurrence [7.0 (2.5-9.0) months vs. 36.0 (9.0-58.0) months, P=0.0235, respectively]. CONCLUSION: In our case-control study, HCV therapy with DAAs does not accelerate or prevent early HCC recurrence compared with untreated patients. The rate of recurrence, time to progression, and HCC pattern are similar. Early DAAs treatment (<12 months) after HCC cure should be discouraged considering the HCC recurrence rate during this period.

Barcelona clinic liver cancer nomogram and others staging/scoring systems in a French hepatocellular carcinoma cohort.

AIM: To compare the performances of the Barcelona clinic liver cancer (BCLC) nomogram and others systems (BCLC, HKLC, CLIP, NIACE) for survival prediction in a large hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) French cohort. METHODS: Data were collected retrospectively from 01/2007 to 12/2013 in five French centers. Newly diagnosed HCC patients were analyzed. The discriminatory ability, homogeneity ability, prognostic stratification ability Akaike information criterion (AIC) and C-index were compared among scoring systems. RESULTS: The cohort included 1102 patients, mostly men, median age 68 [60-74] years with cirrhosis (81%), child-Pugh A (73%), alcohol-related (41%), HCV-related (27%). HCC were multinodular (59%) and vascular invasion was present in 41% of cases. At time of HCC diagnosis BCLC stages were A (17%), B (16%), C (60%) and D (7%). First line HCC treatment was curative in 23.5%, palliative in 59.5%, BSC in 17% of our population. Median OS was 10.8 mo [4.9-28.0]. Each system distinguished different survival prognosis groups (P < 0.0001). The nomogram had the highest discriminatory ability, the highest C-index value. NIACE score had the lowest AIC value. The nomogram distinguished sixteen different prognosis groups. By classifying unifocal large HCC into tumor burden 1, the nomogram was less powerful. CONCLUSION: In this French cohort, the BCLC nomogram and the NIACE score provided the best prognostic information, but the NIACE could even help treatment strategies.

Ileal patch duodenoplasty after right colectomy extended to the duodenal wall.

After radical resection of cancer of the right colonic flexure, a parietal defect can be created in case of duodenal invasion. In this paper the authors describe an "easy and safe" duodenoplasty surgical technique using an ileal patch.