Feasibility and Short-Term Outcomes in Liver-First Approach: A Spanish Snapshot Study (the RENACI Project).

(1) Background: The liver-first approach may be indicated for colorectal cancer patients with synchronous liver metastases to whom preoperative chemotherapy opens a potential window in which liver resection may be undertaken. This study aims to present the data of feasibility and short-term outcomes in the liver-first approach. (2) Methods: A prospective observational study was performed in Spanish hospitals that had a medium/high-volume of HPB surgeries from 1 June 2019 to 31 August 2020. (3) Results: In total, 40 hospitals participated, including a total of 2288 hepatectomies, 1350 for colorectal liver metastases, 150 of them (11.1%) using the liver-first approach, 63 (42.0%) in hospitals performing <50 hepatectomies/year. The proportion of patients as ASA III was significantly higher in centers performing ≥50 hepatectomies/year (difference: 18.9%; p = 0.0213). In 81.1% of the cases, the primary tumor was in the rectum or sigmoid colon. In total, 40% of the patients underwent major hepatectomies. The surgical approach was open surgery in 87 (58.0%) patients. Resection margins were R0 in 78.5% of the patients. In total, 40 (26.7%) patients had complications after the liver resection and 36 (27.3%) had complications after the primary resection. One-hundred and thirty-two (89.3%) patients completed the therapeutic regime. (4) Conclusions: There were no differences in the surgical outcomes between the centers performing <50 and ≥50 hepatectomies/year. Further analysis evaluating factors associated with clinical outcomes and determining the best candidates for this approach will be subsequently conducted.

Hepatocellular carcinoma.

An update on the management of Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is provided in the present article for those interested in the UEMS/EBSQ exam in Surgical Oncology. The most recent publications in HCC, including surveillance, guidelines, and indications for liver resection, liver transplantation, and locoregional or systemic therapies, are summarised. The objective is to yield a set of main points regarding HCC that are required in the core curriculum of hepatobiliary oncological surgery.

EORTC 1409 GITCG/ESSO 01 - A prospective colorectal liver metastasis database for borderline or initially unresectable diseases (CLIMB): Lessons learnt from real life. From paradigm to unmet need.

AIM: Multidisciplinary management of metastatic colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) is still challenging. To assess postoperative complications in initially unresectable or borderline resectable CRLM, the prospective EORTC-1409 ESSO 01-CLIMB trial capturing 'real-life data' of European centres specialized in liver surgery was initiated. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 219 patients were registered between May 2015 and January 2019 from 15 centres in nine countries. Eligible patients had borderline or initially unresectable CRLM assessed by pre-operative multidisciplinary team discussion (MDT). Primary endpoints were postoperative complications, 30-day and 90-days mortality post-surgery, and quality indicators. We report the final results of the 151 eligible patients that underwent at least one liver surgery. RESULTS: Perioperative chemotherapy with or without targeted treatment were administered in 100 patients (69.4%). One stage resection (OSR) was performed in 119 patients (78.8%). Two stage resections (TSR, incl. Associating Liver Partition and Portal Vein Ligation for Staged hepatectomy (ALPPS)) were completed in 24 out of 32 patients (75%). Postoperative complications were reported in 55.5% (95% CI: 46.1-64.6%), 64.0% (95% CI: 42.5-82%), and 100% (95% CI: 59-100%) of the patients in OSR, TSR and ALPPS, respectively. Post-hepatectomy liver failure occurred in 6.7%, 20.0%, and 28.6% in OSR, TSR, and ALPPS, respectively. In total, four patients (2.6%) died after surgery. CONCLUSION: Across nine countries, OSR was more often performed than TSR and tended to result in less postoperative complications. Despite many efforts to register patients across Europe, it is still challenging to set up a prospective CRLM database.

A scoring system for predicting malignancy in intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms of the pancreas: a multicenter EUROPEAN validation.

PURPOSE: A preoperative estimate of the risk of malignancy for intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMN) is important. The present study carries out an external validation of the Shin score in a European multicenter cohort. METHODS: An observational multicenter European study from 2010 to 2015. All consecutive patients undergoing surgery for IPMN at 35 hospitals with histological-confirmed IPMN were included. RESULTS: A total of 567 patients were included. The score was significantly associated with the presence of malignancy (p < 0.001). In all, 64% of the patients with benign IPMN had a Shin score < 3 and 57% of those with a diagnosis of malignancy had a score ≥ 3. The relative risk (RR) with a Shin score of 3 was 1.37 (95% CI: 1.07-1.77), with a sensitivity of 57.1% and specificity of 64.4%. CONCLUSION: Patients with a Shin score ≤ 1 should undergo surveillance, while patients with a score ≥ 4 should undergo surgery. Treatment of patients with Shin scores of 2 or 3 should be individualized because these scores cannot accurately predict malignancy of IPMNs. This score should not be the only criterion and should be applied in accordance with agreed clinical guidelines.

Internal audit of oncological results in gastric cancer surgery.

INTRODUCTION: National information on the oncological results of gastric cancer surgery is scarce, so foreign figures are used, which may completely differ from local ones. The aim of our study is to analyse these results in the patients operated on in our centre. METHODS: Survival results of 134 patients that underwent gastric cancer surgery with curative intent from 2004 to June 2016 were analysed. RESULTS: A percentage of 76.8 of the patients (103/134) presented in advanced clinical stages (≥ii). Staging laparoscopy was performed in 67% of them (69/103), an extensive lymphadenectomy (≥LD1+) was carried out in 89.3% of patients (92/103), and 76.7% (79/103) received perioperative chemotherapy. The distribution by pathological stage 0, i, ii, iii and iv was 8.2, 20.2, 26.1, 37.3, and 8.2%, respectively. Median follow-up was 87 months. Median OS was 68 months and one-, 3- and 5-year OS were 81.2, 62, and 53.8%, respectively. The 5-year OS according to pathological staging was 100% for stage 0, 88.4% for stage i, 62.5% for stage ii, 23.6% for stage iii and 17% for stage iv. CONCLUSIONS: Our survival rates are in the high ranges of western literature. These results could not be compared with national ones due to the lack of information regarding oncological outcomes in gastric cancer surgery in our closest environment.

Surgical management of suspected gallbladder cancer: The role of intraoperative frozen section for diagnostic confirmation.

BACKGROUND: Preoperative diagnosis for suspected gallbladder cancers is challenging, with a risk of overtreating benign disease, for example, xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis, with radical cholecystectomies. We retrospectively evaluated the surgeon's intraoperative assessment alone, and with the addition of intraoperative frozen sections, for suspected gallbladder cancers from a tertiary hepatobiliary multidisciplinary team (MDT). METHODS: MDT patients with complex gallbladder disease were included. Collated data included demographics, MDT discussion, operative details, and patient outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 454 patients with complex gallbladder disease were reviewed, 48 (10.6%) were offered radical surgery for suspected cancer. Twenty-five underwent frozen section that led to radical surgery in 6 (25%). All frozen sections were congruent with final histopathology but doubled the operating time (p < 0.0001). Both the surgeon's subjective and additional frozen section's objective assessment, allowed for de-escalation of unnecessary radical surgery, comparing favourably to a 13.0% cancer diagnosis among radical surgery historically. CONCLUSIONS: The MDT process was highly sensitive in identifying gallbladder cancers but lacked specificity. The surgeon's intraoperative assessment is paramount in suspected cancers, and deescalated unnecessary radical surgery. Intraoperative frozen section was a safe and viable adjunct at a cost of resources and operative time.

Internal audit of oncological results in gastric cancer surgery. / Auditoría interna de resultados oncológicos en la cirugía del cáncer gástrico.

INTRODUCTION: National information on the oncological results of gastric cancer surgery is scarce, so foreign figures are used, which may completely differ from local ones. The aim of our study is to analyse these results in the patients operated on in our centre. METHODS: Survival results of 134 patients that underwent gastric cancer surgery with curative intent from 2004 to June 2016 were analysed. RESULTS: A percentage of 76.8 of the patients (103/134) presented in advanced clinical stages (≥ii). Staging laparoscopy was performed in 67% of them (69/103), an extensive lymphadenectomy (≥LD1+) was carried out in 89.3% of patients (92/103), and 76.7% (79/103) received perioperative chemotherapy. The distribution by pathological stage 0, i, ii, iii and iv was 8.2, 20.2, 26.1, 37.3, and 8.2%, respectively. Median follow-up was 87 months. Median OS was 68 months and one-, 3- and 5-year OS were 81.2, 62, and 53.8%, respectively. The 5-year OS according to pathological staging was 100% for stage 0, 88.4% for stage i, 62.5% for stage ii, 23.6% for stage iii and 17% for stage iv. CONCLUSIONS: Our survival rates are in the high ranges of western literature. These results could not be compared with national ones due to the lack of information regarding oncological outcomes in gastric cancer surgery in our closest environment.

Building a collaboration to improve surgical research through EORTC/ESSO 1409-CLIMB study: A prospective liver metastasis database with an integrated quality assurance program.

The challenges of conducting surgical oncology trials have resulted to low quantity and poor quality research [1,2]. Considering the definitive role of surgery to offer cure, immediate response to improve surgical research is needed [3]. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) and the European Society of Surgical Oncology (ESSO) share the vision to achieve excellent surgical research and care for cancer patients. Building on their complimentary expertise, they embarked on a pilot project to map out challenges and initiate a sustainable collaboration to advance cancer surgery research in Europe. This pilot project is EORTC-ESSO 1409 GITCG/ ESSO-01: A Prospective Colorectal Liver Metastasis Database with an Integrated Quality Assurance Program (CLIMB). This article will describe the challenges, milestones and vision of both organizations in setting up this collaboration.

Cytoreductive surgery combined with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) in patients with gastric cancer and peritoneal carcinomatosis.

BACKGROUND: Gastric Cancer (GC) with Peritoneal Carcinomatosis (PC) has long been regarded as a terminal disease. Over the past two decades, cytoreductive surgery (CRS) with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) has changed the traditional concept of peritoneal metastases from being a systemic disease, to being considered a locoregional dissemination. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A prospective study was performed at a high-volume Carcinomatosis Center to evaluate survival, morbi-mortality and prognostic factors for survival in a cohort of patients with GC and PC treated with CRS + HIPEC between June 2006 and December 2016. RESULTS: Thirty-five patients were included in the study. Median follow-up was 54 months. Postoperative major complications (>grade IIIa) occurred in 25.7% of patients, including 2 deaths (mortality 5.7%). The median overall survival (OS) was 16 months and the 1-, 3- and 5-year OS rates were 70.8%, 21.3% and 21.3% %, respectively. The median OS for patients with PCI ≤6 was 19 months, in contrast to 12 months for the 19 patients with PCI >6. Three patients were included with only a positive cytology and their median OS was not reached. Perineural invasion was the only factor that had a negative influence in prognosis (HR 18.8) in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: Although GC with PC still has a poor prognosis, survival has improved in selected patients with CRS + HIPEC and perioperative systemic chemotherapy. Patients with isolated positive cytology or peritoneal carcinomatosis with PCI less than 6 had encouraging survival rates.

Conversion of an Open Salmon's Technique to a Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass.

BACKGROUND: There are a growing number of patients who require revisional bariatric surgery due to the failure of their primary procedures. The aim of this video is to present a laparoscopic revisional procedure for dysphagia and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) after an uncommonly performed bariatric surgery, Salmon's technique, consisting of a vertical banded gastroplasty and a horizontal stomach stapling with a Roux-en-Y bypass. METHODS: A 42-year-old obese male, with a history of dyslipidemia and a current body mass index (BMI) of 33, presented with severe dysphagia to solids and frequent spitting 10 years after the primary bariatric surgery (Salmon's procedure) with a BMI of 43. Endoscopy revealed a hiatal hernia. The endoscope passed down without difficulty to the antrum-duodenum and to efferent loop of the small bowel, demonstrating the presence of a fistula in the horizontal stapling of the stomach. Helicobacter pylori was negative. Esophageal transit showed the contrast passing adequately through the esophagogastric junction. Esophageal manometry revealed a hypotensive lower esophageal sphincter (mean pressure of 8 mmHg) and an ineffective peristalsis (40% of waves with normal amplitude and duration). Esophageal pHmetry showed severe GERD with a DeMeester score of 88.5 and a pH less than four, 18.7% of the total time. The patient was on PPIs at the time of symptom evaluation, but stopped the treatment before the performance of the pH study. Laparoscopic conversion to a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass was successfully performed. An extensive adhesiolysis was needed. The esophageal hiatus was dissected and the stomach was partially descended to reduce the hiatal hernia. A subsequent hiatal closure was performed. The efferent loop of the small bowel was freed from the gastric pouch. The new gastric pouch was performed stapling superiorly to the gastric ring and medially to the vertical gastroplasty. The new gastrojejunal anastomosis was performed using a mechanical linear stapler, in an antecolic fashion, and checked for leaks using methylene blue dye. RESULTS: The procedure took 300 min and no intraoperative complications occurred. The patient had an uneventful postoperative course, with a hospital stay of 4 days. One month after the revisional surgery, the patient presented with a stenosis of the gastrojejunal anastomosis, which was successfully solved after two endoscopic dilations. A year and a half after revisional surgery, the patient is completely asymptomatic, has a BMI of 29, and dyslipidemia as the only comorbidity. CONCLUSIONS: Salmon's technique is an uncommon bariatric procedure. Revisional surgery might be needed in case of late complications, like dysphagia and reflux, as it was the case in our patient. In addition, a fistula in the previous horizontal partitioning of the stomach was present. Laparoscopic conversion from Salmon's technique to a gastric bypass was decided. This procedure was successful in solving patient's symptoms and resulted in an increased weight lost. Laparoscopic revisional surgery after an open Salmon's technique is a complex procedure with an increased risk of complications. Our patient developed an anastomotic stenosis 1 month after surgery, probably due to the use of the same gauge as in non-fibrotic tissues.

[Cervical sympathetic chain schwannoma associated with parathyroid adenoma]. / Schwannoma de la cadena simpática cervical asociado a adenoma paratiroideo.

BACKGROUND: Schwannoma is a rare benign tumor derived from nerve sheaths. When derived from the cervical sympathetic chain, it usually presents itself as an asymptomatic mass located in the posterior cervical region, at paravertebral level. Its diagnosis is not easy, usually requiring multiple imaging tests. Its differential diagnosis includes parathyroid adenoma. CLINICAL CASE: A new case of schwannoma of the cervical sympathetic chain in a patient with a synchronous overactive parathyroid adenoma is reported. This case adds to the sixty described in the literature, although to our knowledge no association between schwannoma and parathyroid adenoma has been reported to date. CONCLUSIONS: Despite being a benign tumor, its treatment is a complete surgical resection. The most common complication after the surgery needed for these tumors is ipsilateral Horner syndrome.

Incidence of surgical site infection in colon surgery: comparison with regional, national Spanish, and United States standards.

BACKGROUND: The high prevalence of surgical site infection (SSI) in colon surgery, and the clinical and economic impacts of such infections, make its monitoring and prevention a priority. METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study to estimate the rate of SSI in colon surgery and the degree of compliance with antibiotic prophylaxis and pre-operative preparation protocols. The study population comprised patients who underwent colon surgery at the University Hospital of the Alcorcon Foundation in Alcorcon, Spain, from October 2007 to December 2009. Risk factors, the observance of antibiotic prophylaxis, and compliance with pre-operative preparation protocols were monitored; and their influence on SSIs was followed for 30 days after surgery. The main outcome measure was comparisons of the rates of SSI in patients undergoing colon surgery in Madrid and across the whole of Spain and in the United States, as determined in accordance with the surveillance parameters of the National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance (NNIS) index. RESULTS: Among a total of 132 patients, we found a 10.6% rate of SSI. The indirect standardization rate at our hospital was 1.75-fold for the United States and 0.64-fold and 0.61-fold, respectively, the rates for Madrid and all of Spain. The rates of compliance with antibiotic prophylaxis and pre-operative preparation protocols were 93.6% and 56.8%, respectively. No relation could be established between these data and the rate of infection. The risk factors for SSI found in a multivariable analysis were the degree of contamination in surgery and the presence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD; p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The rate of SSI in our study population was below that for Madrid and Spain but higher than that for the United States. Thorough adherence to the monitoring system was essential for obtaining these results.

[Appendicovesical fistula treated with elective laparoscopic surgery]. / Fístula apendicovesical tratada mediante cirugía laparoscópica electiva.

BACKGROUND: appendicovesical fistula is a rare complication of advanced acute appendicitis and represents a rare type of enterovesical fistula. Its symptoms are vague and imprecise and its diagnosis is difficult, requiring a high level of suspicion. Exploratory laparotomy has been the key for diagnosis and definitive treatment for many years, but recently the laparoscopic approach is standing out among different experienced groups as the method of choice. CLINICAL CASE: we report a new case of appendicovesical fistula in a 45 year old female, who was remitted from Urology with symptoms of persistent dysuria and pyuria. She was finally diagnosed by computerized tomography and the appendicovesical fistula was resolved by laparoscopic surgery. This case adds to the one hundred and fifteen cases published so far and to the four treated by the laparoscopic approach. DISCUSSION: conventional imaging methods are not reliable for the diagnosis of enterovesical fistula. Since most appendicovesical fistula are found to be secondary to non-diagnosed and advanced acute appendicitis in the majority of the consulted publications laparotomy is the key for the diagnosis of apendicovesical fistula. However laparoscopy is described as a diagnostic and therapeutic tool in few articles. We only found three articles in the literature referring to the laparoscopic approach as a therapeutic option. CONCLUSION: computerized tomography is the diagnostic method of choice when communication between the digestive tract and urinary tract is suspected, particularly if the suspected fistula is an appendicovesical one. The laparoscopic approach of an appendicovesical fistula is able to confirm the radiological diagnosis and provide a definitive treatment.

Antecedentes: la fístula apendicovesical es una complicación infrecuente de la apendicitis aguda en estadio avanzado y representa un tipo poco habitual de fístula enterovesical. La laparotomía exploradora ha sido durante muchos años pieza clave para el diagnóstico y su tratamiento efinitivo, pero actualmente el abordaje laparoscópico se está imponiendo entre diferentes grupos experimentados. Caso clínico: aportamos un nuevo caso de fístula apendicovesical en una mujer de 45 años de edad remitida del servicio de Urología por disuria y leucocituria permanente; finalmente, el diagnóstico se estableció mediante técnica de imagen (tomografía computada) y se resolvió por laparoscopia. Este caso se suma a los 115 casos descritos hasta ahora en la bibliografía y a los cuatro tratados mediante laparoscopia. Discusión: los métodos de imagen convencionales no son fiables para el diagnóstico de fístula enterovesical. La mayoría de los casos de fístula apendicovesical son secundarios a una apendicitis aguda no evidenciada y evolucionada. En la mayor parte de las publicaciones consultadas la laparotomía es una herramienta de diagnóstico de la fístula apendicovesical y, en pocos artículos, se describe la laparoscopia como alternativa diagnóstica y terapéutica. En la bibliografía sólo se encontraron tres artículos que hacen referencia al abordaje laparoscópico con fines terapéuticos. Conclusión: ante la sospecha de comunicación entre el tubo digestivo y el aparato urinario, la tomografía computada es el método diagnóstico de elección, sobre todo si se sospecha una fístula apendicovesical. El abordaje laparoscópico de la fístula apendicovesical puede confirmar el diagnóstico radiológico a la vez que constituye una opción quirúrgica definitiva.