A silicone disc for liver retraction in laparoscopic gastrectomy reduces the postoperative increase in the liver enzyme level.

PURPOSE: To compare changes in liver enzyme levels on postoperative day 1 between patients with and without silicone disc (SD) use during liver retraction in laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer and laparoscopic gastric mobilization for esophageal cancer. METHODS: This prospective randomized controlled phase II trial was conducted between June 30, 2020, and November 30, 2022, to investigate the benefits of using an SD with a Nathanson liver retractor (NLR) compared with those using an NLR in laparoscopic gastrectomy and gastric mobilization. The primary endpoint was the change in transaminase level on postoperative day 1. RESULTS: A total of 86 patients received randomized assignments and were included in the analysis, with 44 assigned to the SD (-) group and 42 to the SD (+) group. On postoperative day 1, the SD (+) group showed a significantly lower increase in the aspartate aminotransferase levels than the SD (-) group (SD [+], 94.4% vs. SD [-], 179.8%; p = 0.012). Similarly, the SD (+) group showed a significantly lower increase in alanine aminotransferase levels than the SD (-) group (SD [+], 71.6% vs. SD [-], 201.5%; p = 0.014). CONCLUSION: In laparoscopic gastrectomy, the use of an SD combined with an NLR appears to mitigate postoperative liver dysfunction.

Clinical impact of diarrhea during enteral feeding after esophagectomy.

BACKGROUND: Enteral feeding (EF) is recommended to enhance nutritional status after esophagectomy; however, diarrhea is a common complication of EF. We investigated the clinical and prognostic impact of diarrhea during EF after esophagectomy. METHODS: One hundred and fifty-two patients who underwent transthoracic esophagectomy were enrolled. The King's stool chart was used for stool characterization. The short- and long-term outcomes were compared between a non-diarrhea (Group N) and diarrhea group (Group D). RESULTS: A higher dysphagia score (≥ 1) was observed more frequently in Group D than in Group N (45.7% vs. 19.8%, p = 0.002). Deterioration of serum total protein, serum albumin, serum cholinesterase, and the prognostic nutritional index after esophagectomy was greater in Group D than in Group N (p = 0.003, 0.004, 0.014, and 0.001, respectively). Patients in Group D had significantly worse overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) than those in Group N (median survival time (MST): OS, 21.9 vs. 30.6 months, p = 0.001; RFS, 12.4 vs. 27.7 months, p < 0.001). In stratified analysis due to age, although there was no difference in OS with or without diarrhea in young patients (MST: 24.1 months in a diarrhea group vs. 33.6 months in a non-diarrhea group, p = 0.218), patients in a diarrhea group had significantly worse OS than those in a non-diarrhea group in elderly patients (MST: 17.8 months vs. 27.9 months, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Diarrhea during EF can put elderly patients at risk of postoperative malnutrition and a poor prognosis after esophagectomy.

Usefulness of Procalcitonin as a Predictor of Long-Term Prognosis in the Early Postoperative Period after Esophagectomy for Esophageal Cancer.

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between serum procalcitonin (PCT) levels after esophagectomy and infectious complications and long-term prognosis. A total of 105 patients who underwent esophagectomy between 2012 and 2019 were stratified into two groups: PCT-High group of ≥1 ng/mL and PCT-Low group of <1 ng/mL. The clinical outcomes and prognostic factors were compared between the two groups 2 postoperative days (POD), 4 POD, and 7 POD after esophagectomy. As the postoperative days passed, the association between PCT and infectious complications became stronger, and the positive predictive value was 100% at 7 POD. At 2 POD, there was no significant association between PCT elevation and infectious complications. Patients in the PCT-Low group had significantly worse overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) than those in the PCT-High group at 2 POD (p = 0.026 and p = 0.011, respectively). In multivariate analysis, advanced pathological stage (hazard ratio (HR), 5.348; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.299−12.500; p < 0.001) and PCT-Low group at 2 POD (HR, 3.673; 95% CI, 1.116−12.092; p = 0.032) were also independent predictors of worse OS. PCT in the early postoperative period after esophagectomy could be a good predictor of prognosis.

Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio to Predict the Efficacy of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor in Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Although the effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in upper gastrointestinal (UGI) cancer including esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and gastric/gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma (GEA) has been proven, prediction of their efficacy remains unknown. This study aimed to develop optimal serum nutritional indicators or a combination of blood cell components to predict the efficacy of ICI before beginning UGI cancer treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the data of 61 UGI cancers (31 ESCC and 30 GEA) patients treated with nivolumab or pembrolizumab. We investigated the impact of serum albumin level, total lymphocyte count (TLC), prognostic nutritional index (PNI), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) on the efficacy of ICIs and long-term survival. The median cutoff value was adopted separately in ESCC and GEA. RESULTS: NLR-Low was significantly correlated with better overall survival (p=0.014), and PLR-Low was significantly correlated with improved disease control rate and better progression-free survival in UGI cancer patients. Both results indicate that a better prognosis is correlated to a greater number of lymphocytes. Multivariate analysis revealed that NLR-High [hazard ratio (HR)=2.865; 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.030-7.937; p=0.044] was the only independent poor prognostic factor. CONCLUSION: NLR-Low has the potential to predict the good efficacy of ICIs and survival outcomes in patients with UGI cancer. NLR could be useful in determining the optimal treatment strategies for these patients.

Survival impact of perioperative changes in prognostic nutritional index levels after esophagectomy.

BACKGROUND: The correlation between perioperative changes in nutritional status during esophagectomy and prognosis remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of changes in prognostic nutritional index levels during the perioperative period on esophageal cancer patient survivals. METHODS: From January 2009 to May 2019, 158 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma were enrolled. From the time-dependent ROC analysis, the cutoff values of preoperative and postoperative prognostic nutritional index levels were 46.9 and 40.9. Patients were divided into preoperative-high group (Group H) and preoperative-low group (Group L). Then, patients in Group L were divided into preoperative-low and postoperative-high group (Group L-H) and preoperative-low and postoperative-low group (Group L-L). Long-term outcomes and prognostic factors were evaluated. RESULTS: Patients in Group L had significantly worse overall survival than those in Group H (p = 0.001). Patients in Group L-L had significantly worse overall survival than those in Group L-H (p = 0.023). However, there was no significant difference in overall survival between Groups H and L-H (p = 0.224). In multivariable analysis, advanced pathological stage (hazard ratio 10.947, 95% confidence interval 2.590-46.268, p = 0.001) and Group L-L (hazard ratio 2.171, 95% confidence interval 1.249-3.775, p = 0.006) were independent predictors of poor overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: Patients in Group L-H had a good prognosis, similar to those in Group H. This result indicated that increasing the postoperative prognostic nutritional index level sufficiently using various intensive perioperative support methods could improve prognosis after esophagectomy in patients with poor preoperative nutritional status.

Short-term Outcomes of Robot-assisted Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy Compared With Thoracoscopic or Transthoracic Esophagectomy.

BACKGROUND/AIM: There is no study comparing open esophagectomy (OE), video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS), and robot-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy (RAMIE) in a single institution. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study included 272 patients who underwent subtotal esophagectomy divided into three groups: OE (n=110), VATS (n=127), and RAMIE (n=35) groups. Moreover, short-term outcomes were compared. RESULTS: Overall complications (CD≥II) were significantly less in the RAMIE than the OE and VATS groups. Recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis (CD≥II) was significantly lower in the RAMIE than the OE group (p=0.026) and tended to be lower than that in the VATS group (p=0.059). The RAMIE group had significantly less atelectasis (CD≥I and II), pleural effusion (CD≥I and II), arrhythmia (CD≥II), and dysphagia (CD≥II), than both the OE and VATS groups. CONCLUSION: RAMIE reduced overall postoperative complications after esophagectomy compared with both OE and VATS.

Impact of Immune-related Adverse Events on Nivolumab Efficacy in Patients With Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer.

BACKGROUND: The development of immune-related adverse events (irAEs) has been found to be associated with survival benefits in some cancers. However, data on the relation between irAEs and gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma (GEA) or esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) are scarce. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the data of 29 GEA and 21 ESCC patients treated with nivolumab. We investigated the impact of the development of irAEs in GEA and ESCC patients on best overall response and survival. RESULTS: Patients with irAEs had significantly better best overall response, overall survival and progression-free survival than those without irAEs (p=0.007, p<0.001 and p=0.005, respectively). Multivariate analyses identified an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status ≥2 and the absence of an irAE as independent poor prognostic factors (p<0.001 and 0.016, respectively). CONCLUSION: The development of irAEs has the potential to predict survival outcomes in patients with GEA and ESCC treated with nivolumab.

Early detection of anastomotic leakage after esophagectomy using drain amylase levels.

BACKGROUND: Early diagnosis of anastomotic leakage (AL) after esophagectomy is essential to minimize postoperative complications. In this study, we hypothesized that drain amylase levels may be useful for early AL detection, and measuring drain amylase levels could reduce severe postoperative AL incidence. We, therefore, analyzed the usefulness of measuring drain fluid amylase levels after esophagectomy, in esophageal cancer patients. METHODS: From January 2016 to March 2020, 134 patients with esophageal cancer who underwent surgical resection with esophagogastric anastomosis in the cervical region were included. The patients were divided into a group whose cervical drain fluid amylase levels were not measured (No-AMY Group) and a group whose cervical drain fluid amylase levels were measured daily until postoperative day (POD) 7 (AMY Group). The incidence of severe AL was compared between groups. In the AMY Group, we also investigated the association between AL and drain amylase levels. RESULTS: Drain amylase levels were significantly higher in AL-positive cases than in AL-negative cases (P < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed the drain amylase level cut-off value for AL diagnosis was 1800 U/L on POD 2 (Area under the curve = 0.835; P = 0.027). The incidence of ≥ grade III AL was significantly lower in the AMY Group than in the No-AMY Group (2 vs. 10%, P = 0.047). CONCLUSIONS: Cervical drain fluid amylase levels can be a useful screening method for early detection of AL after esophagectomy for esophageal cancer and may help reduce incidence of severe postoperative AL.

Palliative radiotherapy to maintain outpatient status in elderly patients with esophageal carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Radiation monotherapy effectively relieves symptoms of esophageal cancer. Many studies have reported relief from dysphagia with this treatment; however, the degree of the dysphagia is subjective. On the other hand, the length of outpatient management is objective. In this study, we investigated how radiation monotherapy can contribute to helping elderly patients with esophageal cancer remain as outpatients. METHODS: Between January 2010 and December 2017, we followed 42 patients aged >75 years who underwent radiation monotherapy for esophageal carcinoma. Of these patients, 36 were included in the study. We retrospectively collected data on the patients' characteristics, tumor extension around the circumference of the esophagus, medical procedures, prognosis, cause of death, and outpatient management period. We also analyzed the relationships between the outpatient management period, the clinical stage, and the circumferential extension of the tumor. RESULTS: Of the 36 patients (26 males, 10 females), 27 were treated using doses of 60 or 66 Gy, and 9 received 40 or 50 Gy. The median survival period of the patients who died during the study was 14 months, and their median period of outpatient management was 9 months. Eight of the 12 patients with tumors extending across four-fifths or the entire circumference of the esophagus required medical intervention to administer nutrition. There were no significant differences in the period of outpatient management among the patients who died during the study in terms of clinical stage and horizontal location. CONCLUSIONS: Radiation monotherapy may facilitate outpatient management; however, patients with tumors extending all or most of the circumference of the esophagus required an additional medical procedure.

Changes in the nutritional status of elderly patients after esophagectomy.

BACKGROUND: Esophagectomy is a highly invasive procedure for patients aged > 70 years. Here, we compared the actual nutritional status of older and younger patients who underwent esophagectomy. METHODS: A total of 118 patients who underwent radical esophagectomy between April 2013 and December 2016 were enrolled and divided into two groups based on age: group A (n = 41; ≥ 70 years) and group B (n = 77; < 70 years). Data pertaining to body mass index and nutritional variables (albumin; total cholesterol; cholinesterase; and prealbumin) were retrospectively analyzed preoperatively and at 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively. RESULTS: Significant preoperative between-group differences were found in the cholinesterase, albumin, and prealbumin levels. The body mass index gradually decreased over the first 12 months after surgery in both groups, without significant between-group differences. Significant differences were observed in prealbumin and cholinesterase levels at 3 months postoperatively. 1 year postoperatively, both groups showed slight improvements; however, the between-group differences were not statistically significant. Group A had a significantly lower amount of the degree of decrement of BMI and chE than group B. CONCLUSION: Thus, patients aged > 70 years can recover within 12 months of esophagectomy.