Outcomes following major resection for colorectal cancer in patients aged 65+ years: a population-based study in Queensland, Australia.

BACKGROUND: The risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC) increases with increasing age. As surgery is the primary treatment for CRC, our aim was to examine outcomes following major resection for CRC in a cohort of individuals aged ≥65 years. METHODS: This population-based retrospective study included 18 339 patients aged ≥65 years diagnosed with CRC from 2007 to 2016. Multivariate logistic regression was used to examine factors associated with the likelihood of having major resection, 30-day mortality and laparoscopic surgical procedure. Cox proportional hazards was used to examine factors associated with risk of death at 2 years post-surgery. RESULTS: Overall, 77.8% (n = 14 274) of patients had a major resection. Males and patients ≥75 years were significantly less likely to have a major resection (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively). Thirty-day mortality was 3.1% and 2-year overall survival was 78.7%. After adjustment, factors such as increasing age (≥75 years), ≥2 comorbidities, emergency admission, open surgical procedure and treatment in a public hospital were all independently and significantly associated with poorer outcomes. The likelihood a patient had a laparoscopic procedure was significantly lower for those from a disadvantaged area (P < 0.001), emergency admission (P < 0.001) as well as for those treated in a public versus private hospital (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Post-operative mortality increased, and 2-year survival decreased after age 75 years. The finding of significantly lower rates of laparoscopic surgery for patients from disadvantaged areas and those treated in a public hospital requires further investigation.

Surgical Resection: Old Dog, Any New Tricks?

Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have many treatment options. For patients with surgical indication, consideration of future liver remnant and the surgical complexity of the procedure is essential. A new 3-level complexity classification categorizing 11 liver resection procedures predicts surgical complexity and postoperative morbidity better than reported classifications. Preoperative portal vein embolization can mitigate the risk of hepatic insufficiency. For small HCCs, both liver resection and ablation are effective. New medical treatment options are promising and perioperative use of these drugs may further improve outcomes for patients undergoing liver resection and lead to changes in current treatment guidelines.

[The value of Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI in patients with major resection of liver cancer].

Objective: To investigate the value of Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI in evaluating liver function and predicting the risk of post-hepatoectomy liver failure in patients with major resection of liver cancer. Methods: A total number of 212 patients were included from June 2016 to June 2019 at Department of General Surgery, Peking University Third Hospital with a retrospectively collected data.All patients underwent Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI for diagnosis and preoperative evaluation of liver function.There were 135 males and 77 females, with age of (63.1±10.3) years old (range: 18 to 86 years old) . Relative enhancement ratio (RER) of the region of interest on Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI was acquired by two independent researcher and then conducted the comparison of RER among the patients with or without post-hepatoectomy liver failure (PHLF) .Preoperative evaluation demonstrated that 141 cases infected by hepatitis virus, 128 cases with hepatitis B alone and 11 cases with hepatitis C alone, 2 cases had both of hepatitis B and C, and all patients were grade A judged by Child-Pugh score. The relationship between RER and PHLF was evaluated by Pearson correlation analysis and the diagnostic value of RER in predicting PHLF was test by receiver operating characteristic curve. Results: PHLF occurred in 42 patients according to ISGLS standard. Among them, 31 cases had level A liver failure, 9 cases had level B liver failure and 2 had level C failure. There was a significant correlation between RER and overall level of PHLF and RER was also significantly associated with severe B to C level of PHLF (P<0.05) .The further receiver operating characteristics curve analysis showed that the diagnostic accuracy of RER on overall PHLF was 0.818 (sensitivity 72.9%, specificity 83.3%, cut-off value 73.5%, 95%CI: 0.75 to 0.887) and on severe PHLF was 0.924 (sensitivity 97.0%, specificity 90.9%, cut-off value: 61.5%, 95%CI: 0.79 to 0.90) . Conclusion: For patients who planned to undergo major resection of liver cancer, preoperative Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI can help with the assessment of liver function and predicting the risk for post-hepatectomy liver failure.

Predicting systemic spread in early colorectal cancer: Can we do better?

Through the implementation of national bowel cancer screening programmes we have seen a three-fold increase in early pT1 colorectal cancers, but how these lesions should be managed is currently unclear. Local excision can be an attractive option, especially for fragile patients with multiple comorbidities, but it is only safe from an oncological point of view in the absence of lymph node metastasis. Patient risk stratification through careful analysis of histopathological features in local excision or polypectomy specimens should be performed according to national guidelines to avoid under- or over-treatment. Currently national guidelines vary in their recommendations as to which factors should be routinely reported and there is no established multivariate risk stratification model to determine which patients should be offered major resectional surgery. Conventional histopathological parameters such as tumour grading or lymphovascular invasion have been shown to be predictive of lymph node metastasis in a number of studies but the inter- and intra-observer variation in reporting is high. Newer parameters including tumour budding and poorly differentiated clusters have been shown to have great potential, but again some improvement in the inter-observer variation is required. With the implementation of digital pathology into clinical practice, quantitative parameters like depth/area of submucosal invasion and proportion of stroma can be routinely assessed. In this review we present the various histopathological risk factors for predicting systemic spread in pT1 colorectal cancer and introduce potential novel quantitative variables and multivariable risk models that could be used to better define the optimal treatment of this increasingly common disease.

[Preconditioning of the liver]. / Präkonditionierung der Leber.

Posthepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) still represents a severe complication after major liver resection associated with a high mortality. In addition to an insufficient residual liver volume various factors play an important role in the pathophysiology of PHLF. These include the quality of the parenchyma, liver function, perfusion, i.e. maintenance of adequate inflow and outflow, as well as the condition of the patient and comorbidities. While the liver volume is relatively easy to evaluate using modern imaging techniques, the evaluation of liver function and liver quality require a differentiated approach. Both factors can be influenced by the constitutional status of the patient, medical history and previous treatment and must be given sufficient consideration in the risk evaluation. An adequate perfusion, e.g. portal and arterial circulation and adequate outflow by at least one hepatic vein as well an adequate biliary drainage should be always guaranteed in order to allow regeneration of the residual liver tissue. Only the understanding of all these aspects will support the surgeon in a correct and safe evaluation of the resectability. Additionally, the liver surgeon should be aware of all available perioperative and postoperative options to treat and to prevent PHLF. In this review article the most important questions regarding the risk factors related to PHLF are presented and the potential therapeutic and prophylactic management is described. The main goal is to ensure functional operability of the patient if oncological resectability is possible. In other words: in the case of correct oncological indication, the liver surgeon should be able to resect what is resectable or, alternatively, make resectable what primarily was not resectable.

Current approach to liver traumas.

INTRODUCTION: Liver injuries remain major obstacle for successful treatment, due to size and location of the liver. Requirement for surgery should be determined by clinical factors, most notably hemodynamical state. In this present study we tried to declare our approach to liver traumas. We also tried to emphasize the importance of conservative treatment, since surgeries for liver traumas carry high mortality rates. PRESENTATION OF CASE: Patients admitted to the Department of Emergency Surgery at Kartal Research and Education Hospital, due to liver trauma were retrospectively analyzed between 2003 and 2013. Patient demographics, hepatic panel, APTT (activated partial thromboplastin time), PT (prothrombin time), INR (international normalized ratio), fibrinogen, biochemistry panel were recorded. Hemodynamic instability was the most prominent factor for surgery decision, in the lead of current Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) protocols. Operation records and imaging modalities revealed liver injuries according to the Organ Injury Scale of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma. 300 patients admitted to emergency department were included in our study (187 males and 113 females). Mean age was 47 years (range, 12-87). The overall mortality rate was 13% (40 out of 300). Major factor responsible for mortality rates and outcome was stability of cases on admission. 188 (% 63) patients were counted as stable, whereas 112 (% 37) cases were found unstable (blood pressure ≤ 90, after massive resuscitation). 192 patients were observed conservatively, whereas 108 cases received abdominal surgery. High levels of AST, ALT, LDH, INR, creatinine and low levels of fibrinogen and low platelet counts on admission were found to be associated with mortality and these cases also had Grade 4 and 5 injuries. Hemodynamic instability on admission and the type and grade of injury played major role in mortality rates). Packing was performed in 35 patients, with Grade 4 and 5 injuries. Mortality rate was %13 (40 out of 300). CONCLUSION: A multidisciplinary approach to the management of hepatic injuries has evolved over the last few decades, but the basic principles of trauma continue to be observed. Diagnostic and therapeutic endeavors are chosen based mainly on the stability of the patient. Stable patients with reliable examinations and available resources can be managed nonoperatively. Unstable patients require surgery. Our current approach to liver traumas is non operative technique, if possible.

The impact of anastomotic leakage on oncologic outcomes and the receipt and timing of adjuvant chemotherapy after colorectal cancer surgery.

PURPOSES: To evaluate the impact of anastomotic leakage on oncologic outcomes in patients with colorectal cancer. We also evaluated the influence of anastomotic leakage on receipt and commencement time of adjuvant chemotherapy. METHODS: A total of 809 consecutive patients undergoing major resection for colorectal cancer were categorized into leak (n = 33, 4.1%) and non-leak (n = 776, 95.9%) groups. RESULTS: The 5-year local recurrence rates of stage II disease were 0.6% and 20.0% for non-leak and leak groups respectively (p = 0.046), and the equivalent rates for stage III disease were 9.1% and 59.4% respectively (p < 0.001). For stage III disease, receipt of adjuvant therapy was lower in the leak group (63% vs. 87%, p = 0.007) and mean time to initiation of chemotherapy was longer in the leak group (52 days vs. 37 days) but this did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.080). Older age (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.8), advanced TNM classification (HR = 3.6), and anastomotic leakage (HR = 8.9) were adverse risk factors for local recurrence based on multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Anastomotic leakage adversely influenced local recurrence rates in stage II and III disease and was an independent risk factor for local recurrence. Additionally, anastomotic leakage contributed to failure to receive adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with stage III disease.

Is close monitoring in the intensive care unit necessary after elective liver resection?

PURPOSE: Many surgical patients are admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), resulting in an increased demand, and possible waste, of resources. Patients who undergo liver resection are also transferred postoperatively to the ICU. However, this may not be necessary in all cases. This study was designed to assess the necessity of ICU admission. METHODS: The medical records of 313 patients who underwent liver resections, as performed by a single surgeon from March 2000 to December 2010 were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: Among 313 patients, 168 patients (53.7%) were treated in the ICU. 148 patients (88.1%) received only observation during the ICU care. The ICU re-admission and intensive medical treatment significantly correlated with major liver resection (odds ratio [OR], 6.481; P = 0.011), and intraoperative transfusions (OR, 7.108; P = 0.016). Patients who underwent major liver resection and intraoperative transfusion were significantly associated with need for mechanical ventilator care, longer postoperative stays in the ICU and the hospital, and hospital mortality. CONCLUSION: Most patients admitted to the ICU after major liver resection just received close monitoring. Even though patients underwent major liver resection, patients without receipt of intraoperative transfusion could be sent to the general ward. Duration of ICU/hospital stay, ventilator care and mortality significantly correlated with major liver resection and intraoperative transfusion. Major liver resection and receipt of intraoperative transfusions should be considered indicators for ICU admission.

Is close monitoring in the intensive care unit necessary after elective liver resection? / 대한외과학회지

PURPOSE: Many surgical patients are admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), resulting in an increased demand, and possible waste, of resources. Patients who undergo liver resection are also transferred postoperatively to the ICU. However, this may not be necessary in all cases. This study was designed to assess the necessity of ICU admission. METHODS: The medical records of 313 patients who underwent liver resections, as performed by a single surgeon from March 2000 to December 2010 were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: Among 313 patients, 168 patients (53.7%) were treated in the ICU. 148 patients (88.1%) received only observation during the ICU care. The ICU re-admission and intensive medical treatment significantly correlated with major liver resection (odds ratio [OR], 6.481; P = 0.011), and intraoperative transfusions (OR, 7.108; P = 0.016). Patients who underwent major liver resection and intraoperative transfusion were significantly associated with need for mechanical ventilator care, longer postoperative stays in the ICU and the hospital, and hospital mortality. CONCLUSION: Most patients admitted to the ICU after major liver resection just received close monitoring. Even though patients underwent major liver resection, patients without receipt of intraoperative transfusion could be sent to the general ward. Duration of ICU/hospital stay, ventilator care and mortality significantly correlated with major liver resection and intraoperative transfusion. Major liver resection and receipt of intraoperative transfusions should be considered indicators for ICU admission.