Technique efficacy and complications after ablation as first surgical intervention for hepatocellular carcinoma: A nationwide database study.

INTRODUCTION: Despite limited evidence, technique efficacy and complications may be important short-term outcomes after ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We aimed to report these outcomes after ablation as the first surgical intervention for HCC. METHODS: This nationwide cohort study was based on data from the Danish Liver and Biliary Duct Cancer Database and medical records. Variables associated with outcomes were investigated using logistic regression. RESULTS: From 2013 to 2023, 433 patients were included of which 79% were male, 73% had one tumor, and 90% had cirrhosis. Complete ablation was achieved after percutaneous, laparoscopic, and open approach in 84%, 100%, and 96% of the procedures, respectively. Most patients did not experience complications (76%). Open ablation compared with percutaneous was associated with higher risk of complications in multivariable adjusted analysis (Clavien-Dindo grade 2-5 (odds ratio 5.34, 95% confidence interval [2.36; 12.08]) and 3B-5 (5.70, [2.03; 16.01]), and lower risk of incomplete ablation (0.19 [0.05; 0.65]). Number of tumors ≥3 was associated with a higher risk of incomplete ablation (3.88, [1.45; 10.41]). Tumor diameter ≥3 cm was associated with increased risk of complications grade 2-5 (2.84, [1.29; 6.26]) and 3B-5 (4.44, [1.62; 12.13]). Performance status ≥2 was associated with risk of complications grade 3B-5 (5.98, [1.58; 22.69]). Tumor diameter was not associated with technique efficacy. CONCLUSION: Open ablation had a higher rate of complete ablation compared with percutaneous but was associated with a higher risk of complications. Tumor diameter ≥3 cm and performance status ≥2 were associated with a higher risk of complications.

Practice patterns in diagnostics, staging, and management strategies of gallbladder cancer among Nordic tertiary centers.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is a rare malignancy in the Nordic countries and no common Nordic treatment guidelines exist. This study aimed to characterize the current diagnostic and treatment strategies in the Nordic countries and disclose differences in these strategies. METHODS: This was a survey study with a cross-sectional questionnaire of all 19 university hospitals providing curative-intent surgery for GBC in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland. RESULTS: In all Nordic countries except Sweden, neoadjuvant/downstaging chemotherapy was used in GBC patients. In T1b and T2, majority of the centers (15-18/19) performed extended cholecystectomy. In T3, majority of the centers (13/19) performed cholecystectomy with resection of segments 4b and 5. In T4, majority of the centers (12-14/19) chose palliative/oncological care. The centers in Sweden extended lymphadenectomy beyond the hepatoduodenal ligament, whereas all other Nordic centers usually limited lymphadenectomy to the hepatoduodenal ligament. All Nordic centers except those in Norway used adjuvant chemotherapy routinely for GBC. There were no major differences between the Nordic centers in diagnostics and follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The surgical and oncological treatment strategies of GBC vary considerably between the Nordic centers and countries.

The value of contrast-enhanced laparoscopic ultrasound during robotic-assisted surgery for primary colorectal cancer.

AIM: The aim of this study was to assess the potential clinical value of contrast enhanced laparoscopic ultrasonography (CE-LUS) as a screening modality for liver metastases during robotic assisted surgery for primary colorectal cancer (CRC). METHOD: A prospective, descriptive (feasibility) study including 50 consecutive patients scheduled for robotic assisted surgery for primary CRC. CE-LUS was performed by 2 experienced specialists. Only patients without metastatic disease were included. Follow-up was obtained with contrast-enhanced CT imaging at 3 and 12 months postoperatively. RESULTS: Fifty patients were included; 45 patients were available for final analysis. The patients were equally distributed between stage I, II, and III according to the TNM classification system. No liver metastasis was detected during LUS and CE-LUS. CE-LUS was easy to perform and there was no complication. Follow-up revealed no liver metastasis in any of the patients. CONCLUSION: CE-LUS did not increase the detection rate of occult liver metastasis during robotic assisted primary CRC surgery. The use of CE-LUS as a screening modality for detection of liver metastasis cannot be recommended based on this study, but larger controlled studies on high-risk patients seem relevant.

Acute pancreatitis secondary to duodeno-duodenal intussusception caused by a duodenal membrane, in a patient with intestinal malrotation.

Duodeno-duodenal intussusception is often caused by an intraluminal tumour. The condition is rare owing to the retroperitoneal fixation of the duodenum, which is sometime absent in cases of intestinal malrotation. We describe the case of a 19-year old man admitted to hospital with abdominal pain and vomiting. A CT scan revealed a duodeno-duodenal intussusception including the head of the pancreas, which was confirmed by laparotomy. The cause was found to be a duodenal membrane with a pinhole passage combined with non-rotation of the duodenum.

Laparoscopic and Percutaneous Core Needle Biopsy Plays a Central Role for the Diagnosis of Autoimmune Pancreatitis in a Single-Center Study From Denmark.

OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to describe the diagnosis of autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) in Denmark and to test the usefulness of the International Consensus Diagnostic Criteria (ICDC) on a geographically well-defined cohort. METHODS: All patients diagnosed with AIP at Odense University Hospital from 2007 to 2013 were included (n = 30; mean follow-up, 26.2 months). Data from laparoscopic or percutaneous ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy (CNB), resection specimens, endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), EUS-guided CNB, computed tomography, serum immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4), and pancreatography were retrospectively analyzed according to ICDC. RESULTS: Twenty patients were diagnosed with type 1, 8 with type 2, and 2 with not otherwise specified AIP. Twenty-eight patients (93%) could correctly be classified when ICDC were retrospectively applied. Serum IgG4 was elevated in 44% of type 1 and 0% of type 2. Other organ involvement was observed in 40% of type 1 and 13% of type 2, but inflammatory bowel disease only in type 2 (P = 0.001). One patient had IgG4-related chronic perisplenitis as a hitherto undescribed manifestation of IgG4-related disease. Nineteen (91%) of 21 biopsied patients had diagnostic CNB features of AIP. Computed tomography, EUS, and pancreatography showed features highly suggestive or supportive of AIP in 68%, 72%, and 71%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic or percutaneous ultrasound-guided CNB had the highest sensitivity for AIP. The ICDC could retrospectively correctly diagnose 93% of the patients.

Acceptable results after self-expanding metallic stent treatment for dysphagia in non-resectable oesophageal cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Dysphagia is the most common symptom of malignant obstruction in the oesophagus and at the gastro-oesophageal junction (GEJ) region, and the relief of dysphagia plays a major role in palliative treatment of this condition. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the need for and nature of re-intervention after self-expanding metallic stents (SEMS) insertion in patients who were palliated for cancer of the oesophagus or GEJ. MATERIAL AND METHODS: At a third-level referral centre in Denmark, all SEMS procedures were prospectively registered for SEMS characteristics and procedural events and data regarding re-interventions and survival were retrieved retrospectively in a six-year inclusion period. RESULTS: A total of 108 stents were inserted into 87 patients (63 males and 23 females) with a median age of 71 years (range: 41-94 years). The primary SEMS used was Ultraflex in 77, Cook or Choo in seven and Wallstent in three cases. All but one SEMS were successfully placed, and no perforations occurred. Fifty patients had their dysphagia scores recorded. The average score before and after stent insertion was 2.4 and 0.8, respectively, (p < 0.01). Two-thirds of the patients needed late re-interventions. The most common problem was tissue/tumour ingrowth (n = 40). Seven patients (8%) experienced stent migration. The average re-intervention rate was 2.8 per patient. The median survival after SEMS was 116 days (range 2-866 days). The median time to first re-intervention was 44 days. CONCLUSION: SEMS treatment was a safe and effective palliation of malignant obstruction in the oesophagus and GEJ region, but the procedure was associated with a frequent need for re-interventions.

Vacuum sealing and cooling as methods to preserve surgical specimens.

Recently, vacuum-based preservation of surgical specimens has been proposed as a safe alternative to formalin fixation at the surgical theater. The method seems feasible from a practical point of view, but no systematic study has examined the effect of vacuum sealing alone with respect to tissue preservation. In this study, we therefore subjected tissue samples from 5 different organs to treatments with and without vacuum sealing and cooling at 4°C to study the effect of vacuum sealing of surgical specimens with respect to tissue preservation and compare it with the effect of cooling. No preserving effect of vacuum sealing was observed with respect to cellular morphology, detection of immunohistochemical epitopes, or RNA integrity. In contrast, storage at 4°C was shown to preserve tissue to a higher degree than storage at room temperature for all included endpoints, independently of whether the tissue was subjected to vacuum sealing or not. We, therefore, conclude that vacuum sealing is not an alternative to cooling on ice.

Potential impact of adding endoscopic ultrasound to standard imaging procedures in the preoperative assessment of resectability in patients with liver tumors.

OBJECTIVE: The value of endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) in patients with liver diseases is limitedly described. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential impact of adding EUS to standard imaging procedures in the evaluation of resectability in patients with liver tumors. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Patients who, based on the findings of CT and/or MRI, had been referred for curative resection of liver tumours were studied. Each patient underwent EUS before the final assessment of resectability, which was done by laparoscopic ultrasound or laparotomy. RESULTS: Sixty-four patients were included. Intended curative resection was performed in 19 (30%) patients. Thirty-five (55%) patients were considered to have non-curative malignant disease. In 10 (15%) patients, the tumor was judged to be benign and surgery was not performed. There were no complications related to EUS. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of EUS regarding prediction of non-resectability were 0.24, 0.94, 0.80 and 0.56 (tumor in right lobe), 0.50, 1.0, 1.0 and 0.75 (tumor in left lobe), and 0.60, 0.67, 0.86 and 0.33 (tumors in both lobes), respectively. Sixteen patients (25%) would have had changed their further management, if decision regarding non-resectability had been taken after EUS. DISCUSSION: Addition of EUS to a standard imaging set-up based on CT and/or MRI would have changed the management in 25% of the patients otherwise scheduled for resection of suspected liver tumors.

Combined pretherapeutic endoscopic and laparoscopic ultrasonography may predict survival of patients with upper gastrointestinal tract cancer.

BACKGROUND: The combination of endoscopic and laparoscopic ultrasonography (EUS-LUS) is accurate for resectability assessment of patients with upper gastrointestinal cancer (UGIC). But neither the ability of EUS/LUS to predict long-term prognosis nor the potential impact on patient survival using this selection strategy has been investigated. This prospective, single-center study evaluated whether pretherapeutic EUS-LUS stratification related to the prognosis in UGIC patients and whether patient selection by this strategy provided a prognostic outcome comparable with survival data from the literature. METHODS: Each patient had a pretherapeutic tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage and a resectability assessment assigned based on EUS-LUS findings. Survival curves were constructed and compared for each of the EUS-LUS TNM stage and resectability groups at the end of the observation period. Finally, the R0 resection rate, median, and 5-year survival rates were compared with the literature. RESULTS: This study enrolled 936 consecutive patients with esophageal (n = 256), gastric (n = 273), or pancreatic (n = 407) cancer. A statistically significant survival difference (p < 0.01) between the different TNM stages and resectability groups predicted by EUS-LUS was observed regardless of the cancer type. The poor prognosis for the patients with irresectable or disseminated UGIC was accurately predicted by EUS and LUS. The R0 resection rate as well as the median and 5-year survival rates were comparable with data from the literature. CONCLUSION: The pretherapeutic EUS-LUS patient stratification related significantly to the final prognosis for UGIC patients. An EUS-LUS-based patient selection strategy seemed to provide a prognostic outcome similar to data from computed tomography (CT)-based populations.

[Surgical treatment for locally advanced pancreatic cancer]. / Kirurgisk behandling ved lokalavanceret pancreascancer.

Treatment of patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer remains a challenge, and the exact role of surgery with vascular resection remains unclear. Several studies on selected patient populations have addressed the problem, but with varying results. Although venous resection may be performed without increased morbidity and mortality, the majority of studies found no improved long-term survival when compared to oncological treatment.

[Endoscopy in patients receiving anticoagulation or antiplatelet therapy]. / Endoskopi af patienter i antitrombotisk og antikoagulerende behandling.

Drugs that interfere with haemostasis are widely used for thromboembolic diseases and cardiovascular protection. Gastrointestinal bleeding is a well-known complication, and endoscopists are often faced with decisions concerning the safety of endoscopic procedures in these patients. Based on expert opinion and on data from observational studies, we suggest algorithms for the approach to acute and elective procedures based on procedural risk and on risks for thromboembolic episodes.

Laparoscopic ultrasound-guided biopsy in upper gastrointestinal tract cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: Noninvasive pretherapeutic staging may be supplemented with laparoscopy and laparoscopic ultrasonography (LUS) in order to detect minute liver metastases, carcinosis or other signs of nonresectable or disseminated disease in patients with upper gastrointestinal tract cancer (UGIC). The aim of this study was to evaluate the use, potential clinical gain, and safety profile of LUS-guided biopsy in patients with UGIC. METHODS: A prospective consecutive study on LUS-guided biopsy in patients referred with UGIC between May 2007 and May 2008 was carried out. Previous noninvasive imaging methods had found no signs of disseminated disease. Laparoscopic or LUS-guided biopsies were only performed if a malignant result would change patient management. RESULTS: Two hundred and nine patients entered the study and, based on predefined biopsy indications, laparoscopy and LUS-guided biopsies changed patient management in a total of 27.3% (54/198) of the patients with a final malignant diagnosis. There were no complications. Liver and pancreas were the main target areas for LUS-guided biopsies, and more than half of the biopsies (55%) were taken from the primary tumor where other modalities had failed to obtain proof of malignancy. Twenty-six percent of biopsies were taken from a suspected metastatic lesion not seen before, whereas 19% were taken from previously suspected metastases where other imaging modalities had failed to obtain proof of malignancy. CONCLUSION: LUS-guided biopsy is a safe procedure which in combination with laparoscopic biopsies had an impact on patient management in one-quarter of UGIC patients.

[Prognosis following curative resection of the upper gastrointestinal tract cancer]. / Prognosen efter kurativ resektion af øvre gastrointestinal cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Cancer in the upper gastrointestinal tract has a poor prognosis and the best results are obtained by the few resectable patients. Earlier studies indicated that Danish survival might be inferior to that of other Scandinavian countries. The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term survival after curative resections for these patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: All patients referred for treatment of cancer of the oesophagus, stomach or pancreas were prospectively included. Data were registered with regard to pre-therapeutic examination and operative results. Deceased patients were found by comparison with the Danish Central Personal Register in January 2007. RESULTS: A total of 398 patients were included, of whom 164 were found to be possibly resectable. In total 118 (30%) patients underwent complete surgical resection. The median survival period for patients with oesophageal cancer, stomach cancer and pancreatic cancer was: 22.7 months (18.7-39.4), above 36 months and 31.4 months (19.2-) respectively. The observed 3-year survival was 40% (26-53), 56% (38-71) and 47% (31-62). The estimated 5-year survival was 35% (22-48), 56% (39-72), 43% (27-59). CONCLUSION: The observed long-term survival was comparable to international results. However, only one third of the patients were eligible for complete surgical resection. It is therefore important to establish a close cooperation between surgeons and oncologist to improve the overall survival for this group of patients.

[Local treatment of liver tumors]. / Lokal behandling af levertumorer.

Local treatment of non-resectable liver tumors is common. This brief review describes the local treatment techniques used in Denmark. The techniques are evaluated according to the evidence in literature. The primary local treatment is Radiofrequency Ablation of both primary liver tumors and liver metastasis. Radiofrequency treatment is based on case-control studies, but the impact of the treatment seems obvious. However, randomized controlled studies are necessary in the future in order to guide indications according to different stages of disease, techniques and treatment regimes.

[Synchronous resection of colorectal cancer and liver metastasis]. / Samtidig operation for tarmkraeft og levermetastaser.

Twenty percent of colorectal cancer patients present disease in both bowel and liver. Traditionally, bowel cancer was resected and patients then re-staged for liver resection. This brief review presents literature to evaluate the support for either synchronous or staged operation. No randomised controlled studies have been published, but recently published case control trials show that synchronous resection can be performed with low morbidity and mortality. The question of whether the synchronous procedure is better than the staged operation is a non-solved matter in literature.

[Endoscopic ultrasonography]. / Endoskopisk UL-skanning.

Despite being a well-described diagnostic procedure for more than ten years, endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) is not generally widespread in Denmark. This review deals with the present indications for EUS. For some diseases, EUS has found its precise place in the diagnostic strategy. However, in other diseases, it is not yet clear where to put EUS in relation to other diagnostic procedures.