Clinical benefits of symptom resolution after palliative surgery in advanced cancer: A single-center experience.

BACKGROUND: Palliative surgery (PS) is defined as any surgical procedure aimed at improving quality of life or relieving symptoms caused by an advanced or metastatic cancer. The involvement of patients, caregivers, and other professional figures is crucial for obtaining optimal symptom relief and avoiding complications. This study aims to evaluate the short-term outcome and related factors in patients undergoing PS. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed in consecutive patients who underwent palliative gastrointestinal surgery at our surgical unit during the period June 2018 to May 2023. Demographic, clinical, pathological and follow-up data were collected from a prospectively maintained department database. The main outcomes were complications, symptoms palliation, symptoms recurrence and return to systemic chemotherapy. Standard statistical analysis was performed. RESULTS: During the study period, 127 patients underwent palliative surgery. The Clavien-Dindo 3-5 complication rate and mortality rate were 19.7 % and 6 %, respectively. The resolution of symptoms was achieved in 109 patients (89 %). Successful symptom palliation was significantly related to the possibility of returning to systemic chemotherapy (SC) (OR 9.30 95 % CI 0.1.83-47.18, p 0.007). The only factor related to survival in multivariate analysis was the return to systemic chemotherapy (HR 0.25 95 % CI 0.15-0.42 0.001). CONCLUSION: PS in selected patients is effective for symptom resolution and improving overall survival, if the result is making anticancer therapy possible. Prospective data collection is in any case warranted in every institution performing PS for the purpose of monitoring appropriateness and quality of surgical care.

Doxorubicin as Risk Factor for Fascial Dehiscence After CRS-HIPEC for Peritoneal Metastases.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Among postoperative complications, fascial dehiscence (FD) is registered in up to 10% of patients after cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS-HIPEC). This study aimed to evaluate the risk factors related to FD after CRS-HIPEC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of a prospectively maintained database of consecutive patients who underwent CRS-HIPEC between 2015 and 2023 was performed. For each patient, risk factors for postoperative fascial dehiscence were identified using multivariate analysis. RESULTS: During the study period (2018-2023), 217 patients were treated with CRS-HIPEC. The incidence of FD was observed in seven cases (3.2%), which were reoperated with direct fascial closure. In three cases, FD was associated with other grade III-IV complications. Body mass index, (BMI; p=0.024), doxorubicin-based HIPEC (p=0.005), and open technique (p=0.004) were identified as risk factors for FD in univariate analysis. Systemic chemotherapy, prior surgical score, and peritoneal cancer index (PCI) were not associated with an increased risk of FD. In multivariable regression analysis, doxorubicin-based HIPEC and open technique were confirmed as risk factors for FD. CONCLUSION: Although FD is a relatively rare event after CRS-HIPEC, open technique and doxorubicin-based HIPEC were significant predictors of this complication. Specific fascial closure techniques and proper wound care should be considered in high-risk patients.

Systemic Chemotherapy in Colorectal Peritoneal Metastases Treated with Cytoreductive Surgery: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: For patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) peritoneal metastases (PM) who are eligible for cytoreductive surgery (CRS), the indication and timing of systemic chemotherapy (SC) are still under debate. This study aims to analyze the role of pre, post or perioperative SC on the survival and surgical complications of patients treated with CRS-HIPEC. METHODS: After a systematic search in MEDLINE, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Scopus, Web of Science and Embase, a meta-analysis was performed to compare postoperative complications, disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) according to SC administration and timing. PROSPERO: CRD42023478977. RESULTS: Of 1203 studies screened, 15 were included in the meta-analysis (4523 patients). Post-operative SC was associated with increased overall survival (post-SC vs. no post-SC: HR 0.81, p = 0.00001, I2 = 0%; pre-SC vs. post-SC: HR 0.65, p = 0.01, I2 = 28%), whereas SC (pre or post) or pre-SC compared to surgery alone was not (SC vs. no SC: p = 0.29, I2 = 80%; pre-SC vs. no pre-SC: p = 0.59, I2 = 58%). Similar results were seen for DFS. SC was not associated with an increased complication rate (p = 0.47, I2 = 64%). CONCLUSIONS: Systemic chemotherapy administration in patients undergoing radical surgery for colorectal peritoneal metastases is associated with increased survival only in the adjuvant/post-operative setting. Considering the limitations of the included studies, further trials are needed to answer this unresolved question.

Laparoscopic Cytoreductive Surgery (CRS) and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC) for Peritoneal Metastasis: Improved Short-term Outcomes Revealed Through Propensity Score Matching Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS-HIPEC) is the standard of care for selected cases of primary or secondary peritoneal surface malignancies. The study aims to verify the postoperative advantages of laparoscopic CRS-HIPEC. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of patients who underwent CRS-HIPEC at our institution was performed. Records were extracted from a prospectively maintained database. Patients were divided into two groups, laparoscopic CRS-HIPEC and open CRS-HIPEC, and matched for age, ASA, comorbidities, Prior Surgical Score (PSS), and Peritoneal Cancer Index (PCI) using propensity score analysis. Demographics, clinical, and operative data were compared between the two groups using chi-square or Fisher's exact test and T-test or Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS: Between 2016 and 2022, 13 patients underwent laparoscopic CRS-HIPEC. These were matched to 32 open CRS-HIPEC patients (1:2.5), obtaining comparable demographics and clinical and preoperative variables. The two groups had a similar duration and complexity of surgery; however, the mean estimated blood loss was lower during laparoscopic procedures (p = 0.008). Overall morbidity rates were lower after laparoscopic CRS-HIPEC (p = 0.043); however, grade III-IV complications, reintervention, and 90-day readmission rates were comparable between the two groups. A faster postoperative recovery in all aspects of the postoperative course was observed, including hospital length of stay (6 vs. 9.5 days, p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic CRS-HIPEC is a feasible and safe procedure and shows improved short-term postoperative outcomes in selected patients with limited peritoneal disease compared to the open approach.

Plasma soluble suppression of tumorigenesis 2 measured in the emergency department for diagnosis and outcome prediction of sepsis: A single-center prospective study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The diagnostic and prognostic performance of soluble Suppression of Tumorigenicity 2 (sST2) in suspected septic patients presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) is largely unknown. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients were included in this prospective study if there was high suspicion of sepsis. The plasma level of sST2 was measured during initial ED evaluation. Outcomes were the evaluation of (1) sST2 diagnostic performance (alone and in combination with procalcitonin [PCT]), and (2) sST2 ability to predict 30-day and 90-day all-cause mortality. RESULTS: Among 569 patients included, 481 (84.5 %) had sepsis or septic shock. Plasma sST2 levels were more elevated in septic patients (159 [71-331] vs 50 [31-103] ng/mL, P < 0.001). The AUC of sST2 for sepsis diagnosis was lower than the AUC of PCT (0.76 vs 0.85, P = 0.03). The best cut-off for sST2 was 61.7 ng/mL, with a sensitivity of 79.9 % and a specificity of 70.6 %. sST2 was able to correctly reclassify septic patients with PCT <0.5 (NRI 28.9 % [P = 0.02]). sST2 level was an independent predictor of 30-day mortality in a model including clinical variables (aHR 2.03 [1.24-3.33], C-index 0.69). CONCLUSION: sST2 could be a useful adjunct in diagnosing sepsis and in all-cause mortality prediction.

Is Systemic Chemotherapy Useful in Patients Treated with Cytoreductive Surgery and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC) for Colorectal Peritoneal Metastases? A Propensity-Score Analysis.

PURPOSE: Multimodal treatment of colorectal (CRC) peritoneal metastases (PM) includes systemic chemotherapy (SC) and surgical cytoreduction (CRS), eventually with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), in select patients. Considering lack of clear guidelines, this study was designed to analyze the role of chemotherapy and its timing in patients treated with CRS-HIPEC. METHODS: Data from 13 Italian centers with PM expertise were collected by a collaborative group of the Italian Society of Surgical Oncology (SICO). Clinicopathological variables, SC use, and timing of administration were correlated with overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and local (peritoneal) DFS (LDFS) after propensity-score (PS) weighting to reduce confounding factors. RESULTS: A total of 367 patients treated with CRS-HIPEC were included in the propensity-score weighting. Of the total patients, 19.9% did not receive chemotherapy within 6 months of surgery, 32.4% received chemotherapy before surgery (pregroup), 28.9% after (post), and 18.8% received both pre- and post-CRS-HIPEC treatment (peri). SC was preferentially administered to younger (p = 0.02) and node-positive (p = 0.010) patients. Preoperative SC is associated with increased rate of major complications (26.9 vs. 11.3%, p = 0.0009). After PS weighting, there were no differences in OS, DFS, or LDFS (p = 0.56, 0.50, and 0.17) between chemotherapy-treated and untreated patients. Considering SC timing, the post CRS-HIPEC group had a longer DFS and LDFS than the pre-group (median DFS 15.4 vs. 9.8 m, p = 0.003; median LDFS 26.3 vs. 15.8 m, p = 0.026). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with CRC-PM treated with CRS-HIPEC, systemic chemotherapy was not associated with overall survival benefit. The adjuvant schedule was related to prolonged disease-free intervals. Additional, randomized studies are required to clarify the role and timing of systemic chemotherapy in this patient subset.

HIPEC as a risk factor for postoperative coagulopathy after cytoreductive surgery for peritoneal metastases.

AIM OF THE STUDY: Postoperative coagulopathy is a poorly investigated condition after Cytoreductive Surgery (CRS) and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC). This study aims to evaluate the occurrence and risk factors of coagulative disorders after surgery for peritoneal metastases. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The records were extracted from a prospectively maintained database of consecutive patients who underwent CRS between January 2018 and September 2020. The study was approved by the local Ethics Committee. For each patient, the coagulation profile (CP), which included international normalized ratio (INR), partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), and platelets (PLTS) before surgery, intensive care unit admission,1st, 3rd, 5th postoperative day (POD) and the day before discharge was collected. Risk factors for postoperative coagulopathy were identified at multivariate analysis. RESULTS: During the study period, 125 patients were included in the study. Among these, 48 (38.4%) underwent CRS only, and 77 (61.6%) CRS followed by HIPEC. Twenty-one patients (16.8%) developed severe coagulopathy, 5 (10.4%) after CRS and 16 (20.8%) after CRS-HIPEC. At multivariate analysis, HIPEC and blood loss ≥ 500 ml represented independent risk factors for severe alteration of INR > 1.5 (p = 0.05, OR 1.2) and PLTS < 75 109/L (p = 0.03, OR 1.3), respectively. CONCLUSION: HIPEC is an independent risk factor for postoperative coagulopathy after CRS. Further studies are necessary to assess the usefulness of the point-of-care test in patients treated with CRS-HIPEC.

Complete pathological response of colorectal peritoneal metastases in Lynch syndrome after immunotherapy case report: is a paradigm shift in cytoreductive surgery needed?

BACKGROUND: We report the first case of a patient affected by peritoneal metastases from colon cancer, arising in the context of Lynch syndrome with pathological complete response. The patient was treated with immunotherapy and cytoreductive surgery. This paper discusses the implications of these novel therapies for the management of PM. CASE PRESENTATION: A 50-year-old man affected by Lynch syndrome was referred to our institution for metachronous peritoneal recurrence of ascending colon adenocarcinoma. As a second-line treatment, he received Nivolumab therapy with stable disease. Patient underwent cytoreductive surgery with residual disease and a pathological complete response. Flow cytometry described a particular immune sub-population response. There was no evidence of disease progression after nine months. CONCLUSION: This is the first report of a Lynch patient affected by peritoneal metastases of colorectal cancer, treated with cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and resulting in a pathological complete response after immune checkpoint inhibitors treatment (ICIs). This case report may suggest that patients with peculiar immunological features could benefit from a tailored approach, since "classical" CRS paradigms may not effectively predict the clinical outcome. Further large-scale studies are needed to determine the correct operative management of such patients (tailored or "standard" CRS), defining the correct surgical timing and eventual discontinuation of ICI therapy after surgery.

Colorectal Cancer with Peritoneal Metastases: The Impact of the Results of PROPHYLOCHIP, COLOPEC, and PRODIGE 7 Trials on Peritoneal Disease Management.

HIPEC is a potentially useful locoregional treatment combined with cytoreduction in patients with peritoneal colorectal metastases. Despite being widely used in several cancer centers around the world, its role had never been investigated before the results of three important RCTs appeared on this topic. The PRODIGE 7 trial clarified the role of oxaliplatin-based HIPEC in patients treated with radical surgery. Conversely, the PROPHYLOCHIP and the COLOPEC were designed to chair the role of HIPEC in patients at high risk of developing peritoneal metastases. Although all three trials demonstrated the relative ineffectiveness of HIPEC for treating or preventing peritoneal metastases, these results are not sufficient to abandon this technique. In addition to some criticisms relating to the design of the trials and their statistical value, the oxaliplatin-based HIPEC was found to be ineffective in preventing or treating peritoneal colorectal metastases, especially in patients already treated with systemic platinum-based chemotherapy. Several studies are ongoing investigating further HIPEC drugs and regimens. The review deeply discussed all the aspects and relapses of this new evidence.

Cost analysis of incisional hernia repair with synthetic mesh and biological mesh: an Italian study.

Repair of an incisional hernia (IH) generates costs on several levels and domains of society. The aim of this study was to make a complete cost analysis of incisional hernia repair (IHR) with synthetic and biological mesh and to compare it with financial reimbursement. Patients were grouped into three levels to determine the complexity of their care, and hence, the costs involved. Group 1 included patients without comorbidities, who underwent a "standard" incisional hernia repair (SIHR), with synthetic mesh. Group 2 included patients with comorbidities, who underwent the same surgical procedure. Group 3 included all patients who underwent a "complex" IHR (CIHR) with biological mesh. Total costs were divided into direct (including preoperative and operative phases) and indirect costs (medications and working days loss). Reimbursement was calculated according to Diagnosis-Related Group (DRG). From 2012 to 2014, 76 patients underwent prosthetic IHR: group 1 (35 pts); group 2 (30 pts); and group 3 (11 pts). The direct costs of preoperative and operative phases for groups 1 and 2 were €5544.25 and €5020.65, respectively, and €16,397.17 in group 3. The total reimbursement in the three groups was €68,292.37 for group 1, €80,014.14 for group 2, and €72,173.79 for group 3, with a total loss of €124,658.43, €69,675.36, and €100,620.04, respectively. All DRGs underestimate the costs related to IHR and CIHR, thus resulting in an important economic loss for the hospital. The cost analysis shows that patient-related risk factors do not alter the overall costs. To provide a correct "cost-based" reimbursement, different DRGs should be created for different types of hernias and prostheses.

Determinants of inappropriate acute pain management in old people unable to communicate verbally in the emergency department.

OBJECTIVES: Poor pain management is relevant among individuals unable to communicate verbally (UCV). Analgesia may be due to three determinants: patients' status, physician's characteristics and pain etiology. Our aim is to investigate the association between prescription of ED pain treatment and these determinants. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An observational prospective study including UCV patients was conducted. Severity of pain was evaluated by ALGOPLUS Scale and a score P ≥ 2 out of 5 on the pain scale was retained as the threshold for the presence of acute pain in elderly UCV patients. RESULTS: Our data showed that only 31,9% of UCV patients received a pharmacological treatment. The presence of the caregiver would influence the rate of therapy administration [OR 6,19 (95% CI 2,6-14,75)]. The presence of leg pain [OR 0,32 (95% CI 0,12-0,86)] and head pain [OR 0,29 (95% CI 0,10-0,84)] were less likely associated to receive analgesia. Pain related to trauma [OR 4.82 (95% CI 1.17 to 19.78)] and youngest physicians [OR 1.08 (95% CI 1.001 to 1.18)] were variables associated with the administration of drugs opiates. DISCUSSION: Older UCV patients presenting to the ED with pain are at high risk of inadequate analgesia. Providers should always suspect presence of pain and an increasing need for behavioural pain evaluation is necessary for a complete assessment. CONCLUSIONS: Presence of a caregiver influences a more appropriate pain management in these patients. Staff training on pain management could result in better assessment, treatment, and interaction with caregivers.

Assessment of Diagnostic and Prognostic Role of Copeptin in the Clinical Setting of Sepsis.

The diagnostic and prognostic usefulness of copeptin were evaluated in septic patients, as compared to procalcitonin assessment. In this single centre and observational study 105 patients were enrolled: 24 with sepsis, 25 with severe sepsis, 15 with septic shock, and 41 controls, divided in two subgroups (15 patients with gastrointestinal bleeding and 26 with suspected SIRS secondary to trauma, acute coronary syndrome, and pulmonary embolism). Biomarkers were determined at the first medical evaluation and thereafter 24, 48, and 72 hours after admission. Definitive diagnosis and in-hospital survival rates at 30 days were obtained through analysis of medical records. At entry, copeptin proved to be able to distinguish cases from controls and also sepsis group from septic shock group, while procalcitonin could distinguish also severe sepsis from septic shock group. Areas under the ROC curve for copeptin and procalcitonin were 0.845 and 0.861, respectively. Noteworthy, patients with copeptin concentrations higher than the threshold value (23.2 pmol/L), calculated from the ROC curve, at admission presented higher 30-day mortality. No significant differences were found in copeptin temporal profile among different subgroups. Copeptin showed promising diagnostic and prognostic role in the management of sepsis, together with its possible role in monitoring the response to treatment.

Sleep disturbances and quality of life in postoperative management after esophagectomy for esophageal cancer.

BACKGROUND: The aims of this prospective study were to analyze the predictors of postoperative sleep disturbance after esophagectomy for cancer and to identify patients at risk for postoperative hypnotic administration. METHODS: Sixty two consecutive patients who underwent cancer-related esophagectomy were enrolled in this study from May 2011 to February 2012. Data about perioperative management, postoperative complications, ICU stay, and vasopressor, hypnotic, and painkiller administration were retrieved. The EORTC QLQ-C30 was used and global quality of life (QL2 item) and sleep disturbance (SL item) were the primary endpoints. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed. RESULTS: Postoperative request of hypnotics independently predicted bad quality of life outcome. Sleep disturbance after esophagectomy was independently predicted by the duration of dopamine infusion in the ICU and the daily request of benzodiazepines. Even in this case, only sleep disturbance at diagnosis revealed to be an independent predictor of hypnotic administration need. ROC curve analysis showed that sleep disturbance at diagnosis was a good predictor of benzodiazepine request (AUC = 73%, P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: The use of vasopressors in the ICU affects sleep in the following postoperative period and the use of hypnotics is neither completely successful nor lacking in possible consequences. Sleep disturbance at diagnosis can successfully predict patients who can develop sleep disturbance during the postoperative period.

Role of presepsin for the evaluation of sepsis in the emergency department.

Sepsis, severe sepsis and septic shock are among the most common conditions handled in the emergency department (ED). According to new Sepsis Guidelines, early diagnosis and treatment are the keys to improve survival. Plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT) levels, when associated with documented or suspected infection, are now part of the definitions of sepsis. Blood culture is the gold standard method for detecting microorganisms but it requires too much time for results to be known. Sensitive biomarkers are required for early diagnosis and as indexes of prognosis sepsis. CRP is one of the acute phase proteins synthesized by the liver: it has a great sensitivity but a very poor specificity for bacterial infections. Moreover, the evolution of sepsis does not correlate with CRP plasma changes. In recent years PCT has been widely used for sepsis differential diagnosis, because of its close correlation with infections, but it still retains some limitations and false positivity (such as in multiple trauma and burns). Soluble CD14 subtype (sCD14-ST), also known as presepsin, is a novel and promising biomarker that has been shown to increase significantly in patients with sepsis, in comparison to the healthy population. Studies pointed out the capability of this biomarker for diagnosing sepsis, assessing the severity of the disease and providing a prognostic evaluation of patient outcome. In this mini review we mainly focused on presepsin: we evaluate its diagnostic and prognostic roles in patients presenting to the ED with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), suspected sepsis or septic shock.

Bleeding prevalence and transfusion requirement in patients with thrombocytopenia in the emergency department.

BACKGROUND: Thrombocytopenia is the most common coagulation disorder in critically ill patients. No studies have investigated the epidemiology and clinical impact of this condition in emergency department (ED) patients. We aimed to investigate epidemiological features, incidence of bleeding, and diagnostic and therapeutic requirements of patients with thrombocytopenia admitted to the ED. METHODS: We performed a retrospective observational study enrolling all patients admitted to the medical-surgical ED of the "Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino" Hospital with a platelet count <150×10(9) PLTs/L, during four non-consecutive months. There were no exclusion criteria. RESULTS: The study included 1218 patients. The percentage of patients with severe (<50×10(9) PLTs/L) or very severe (<20×10(9) PLTs/L) thrombocytopenia was about 12%. Thrombocytopenia associated with liver cirrhosis was the most represented etiology. On the contrary, the most frequent cause in patients with newly recognized low platelet count was disseminated intravascular coagulation/sepsis. The incidence of bleeding and hypovolemia, as well as the need of transfusional support and mechanical, surgical or endoscopic hemostasis progressively increased with the severity of thrombocytopenia. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the detection of a platelet count lower than 50×10(9) PLTs/L may help to identify patients with higher bleeding risk in the ED setting. Additional studies are required to evaluate whether, in this setting, thrombocytopenia may represent an independent risk factor for bleeding episodes and increased mortality.