Minimally invasive pancreaticoduodenectomy: A favorable approach for frail patients with pancreatic cancer.

BACKGROUND: Within the past decade, minimally invasive pancreaticoduodenectomy has been increasingly adopted in high-volume cancer centers. Amid broader trends of a growing older population, the numbers of frail patients with cancer are expected to increase. In this study, we compared the postoperative outcomes of open pancreaticoduodenectomy and minimally invasive pancreaticoduodenectomy in frail patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. METHODS: Using the pancreatectomy-targeted American College of Surgeons-National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database (2014-2021), we identified pancreaticoduodenectomy cases for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Patients with a modified frailty index ≥2 were considered frail. We performed 2:1 (open pancreaticoduodenectomy to minimally invasive pancreaticoduodenectomy) optimal pair propensity score matching for both patient- and disease-specific characteristics. We evaluated baseline covariate balance for homogeneity and assessed 30-day postoperative outcomes: complications, discharge destination, major morbidity, and mortality. RESULTS: We identified 3,143 frail patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Of those, 275 (9%) underwent minimally invasive pancreaticoduodenectomy. Minimally invasive pancreaticoduodenectomy was associated with a lower rate of any complications compared with open pancreaticoduodenectomy (43% vs 54%; P < .001), major morbidity (29% vs 35%; P = .042), and nonhome discharge (12% vs 17%; P = .022). When comparing the 2 minimally invasive pancreaticoduodenectomy approaches, robotic surgery was associated with fewer complications compared with laparoscopy (39% vs 51%; P = .040) and a lower mortality rate (1% vs 4%; P = .041) CONCLUSION: In frail patients with pancreatic cancer, minimally invasive pancreaticoduodenectomy was associated with better postoperative outcomes than open pancreaticoduodenectomy. This study builds on growing literature reporting that, when properly implemented, minimally invasive pancreaticoduodenectomy is associated with more favorable postoperative outcomes. Given the particularly high risk of complication in frail patients, implementing a preoperative frailty assessment can provide valuable insights to inform patient counseling.

Presence of underlying cirrhosis is associated with increased in-hospital mortality and length of stay following pancreatoduodenectomy.

BACKGROUND: Patient- and hospital-level factors associated with outcomes following pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) are well established. However, despite theoretical disruption in hepatopetal flow, the impact of cirrhosis on in-hospital mortality following PD is not well-studied. The objective of this study was to evaluate in-hospital mortality, length of stay (LOS), and post-discharge disposition in patients with cirrhosis undergoing PD. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of the National Inpatient Sample (January 2002-August 2015) was conducted identifying patients undergoing PD. Using previously validated ICD-9-CM codes, patients were stratified into presence and absence of cirrhosis. Factors associated with in-hospital mortality following PD were analyzed adjusting for patient- and hospital-level factors. Following PD were analyzed after adjusting for patient- and hospital-level factors. RESULTS: In 16,344 patients that underwent PD, 203 (1.2 %) patients had underlying cirrhosis prior to resection. Overall in-hospital mortality following PD was significantly worse in the cirrhosis cohort (11.3 % vs. 3.6 %, p < 0.001). Patients with underlying cirrhosis were less likely to be discharged home (73.9 % vs. 83.2 %, p < 0.001) and had a longer median LOS (12.0 vs. 10.0 days, p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: The presence of underlying cirrhosis is associated with increased in-hospital mortality, longer LOS, and decreased likelihood of home discharge following PD. Given the prohibitive risks, PD should not be performed in patients with underlying cirrhosis.

Association of race, demographic and socioeconomic factors with failure to rescue after hepato-pancreato-biliary surgery in the United States.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to describe the association of patient-related factors such as race, socioeconomic status, and insurance on failure to rescue (FTR) after hepato-pancreato-biliary (HPB) surgeries. METHODS: Using the National Inpatient Sample, we analyzed 98,788 elective HPB surgeries between 2004 and 2017. Major and minor complications were identified using ICD9/10 codes. We evaluated mortality rates and FTR (inpatient mortality after major complications). We used multivariate logistic regression analysis to assess racial, socioeconomic, and demographic factors on FTR, adjusting for covariates. RESULTS: Overall, 43 % of patients (n = 42,256) had pancreatic operations, 36% (n = 35,526) had liver surgery, and 21% (n = 21,006) had biliary interventions. The overall major complication rate was 21% (n = 20,640), of which 8% (n = 1655) suffered FTR. Factors independently associated with increased risk for FTR were male sex, older age, higher Charlson Comorbidity Index, Hispanic ethnicity, Asian or other race, lower income quartile, Medicare insurance, and southern region hospitals. CONCLUSIONS: Medicare insurance, male gender, Hispanic ethnicity, and lower income quartile were associated with increased risk for FTR. Efforts should be made to improve the identification and subsequent treatment of complications for those at high risk of FTR.

Defining Volume Targets for Regionalization of Pancreaticoduodenectomy, Esophagectomy, and Major Lung Resection Centers to Improve Oncologic and Surgical Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Performance of complex cancer surgeries at high-volume (HV) centers has been shown to reduce operative mortality. However, the case volume threshold that should be used to define HV centers is unknown. In this study, we determined thresholds to define HV pancreaticoduodenectomy, esophagectomy, and major lung resection centers based on clinical parameters. Then, we assessed the association of hospital volume with oncologic outcomes and overall survival. METHODS: We identified adult NCDB patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy, esophagectomy, and major lung resections between 2004 and 2015. Multivariable models with restricted cubic splines were built to predict 5-year overall survival for each surgery group according to average yearly case volume, adjusting for demographic and clinicopathologic factors. The change point procedure was then used to identify volume cut-points for each surgery type. RESULTS: We identified the following thresholds to define HV status: 25 cases/year for pancreaticoduodenectomy; 18 cases/year for esophagectomy; and 54 cases/year for major lung resections. For all surgery types, treatment at a HV center was associated with an increased likelihood of R0 resection and adequate lymph node evaluation. HV centers had significantly decreased 30- and 90-day, postoperative mortality after adjusting for age, sex, race, comorbidities, histology, and stage. An overall survival benefit also was observed for patients undergoing resections at HV centers. CONCLUSIONS: Using novel methodology, our study identified volume thresholds for HV pancreaticoduodenectomy, esophagectomy, and major lung resection centers that were associated with improved oncologic outcomes and overall survival. These definitions of HV centers should be considered when evaluating regionalization of complex cancer care.

Impact of Neoadjuvant Treatment and Minimally Invasive Surgery on Perioperative Outcomes of Pancreatoduodenectomy: an ACS NSQIP Analysis.

BACKGROUND: There is an increasing use of neoadjuvant treatment (NAT) for pancreatic cancer (PC) followed by minimally invasive pancreatoduodenectomy (MIPD). We evaluate the impact of the surgical approach on 30-day outcomes in PC patients who underwent NAT. METHODS: Patients with PC who had NAT followed by MIPD or open pancreatoduodenectomy (OPD) were identified from a pancreatectomy-targeted dataset (2014-2020) of the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program. Comparisons were made between MIPD and OPD within NAT groups. RESULTS: A total of 5588 patients were analyzed. Of those, 4907 underwent OPD and 476 underwent MIPD. In addition, 3559 patients received neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone and 1830 received neoadjuvant chemoradiation. In the chemotherapy-alone group, the MIPD subgroup had lower rates of any complication (38.2% vs. 45.8%, P = 0.005), but there were no differences in mortality (2.1% for MIPD vs 1.9% for OPD, P=0.8) or serious complication (11.8% for MIPD vs 15% for OPD, P=0.1). On multivariable analysis, MIPD was independently predictive of lower rates of any complication (OR: 0.74, 95% CI 0.6-0.93, P = 0.0009), CR-POPF (OR: 0.58, 95% CI 0.35-0.96, P = 0.04), and shorter LOS (estimate: -1.03, 95% CI -1.73 to -0.32, P = 0.004). In the chemoradiation group, patients undergoing MIPD had higher rates of preoperative diabetes (P < 0.05), but there were no significant differences in any outcomes between the two approaches in this group. CONCLUSION: MIPD is safe and feasible after NAT. Patients having neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone followed by MIPD had lower rates of complications, shorter LOS, and fewer CR-POPFs compared to OPD.

NCCN Guidelines® Insights: Genetic/Familial High-Risk Assessment: Breast, Ovarian, and Pancreatic, Version 2.2024.

The NCCN Guidelines for Genetic/Familial High-Risk Assessment: Breast, Ovarian, and Pancreatic focus primarily on assessment of pathogenic/likely pathogenic (P/LP) variants associated with increased risk of breast, ovarian, pancreatic, and prostate cancer, including BRCA1, BRCA2, CDH1, PALB2, PTEN, and TP53, and recommended approaches to genetic counseling/testing and care strategies in individuals with these P/LP variants. These NCCN Guidelines Insights summarize important updates regarding: (1) a new section for transgender, nonbinary and gender diverse people who have a hereditary predisposition to cancer focused on risk reduction strategies for ovarian cancer, uterine cancer, prostate cancer, and breast cancer; and (2) testing criteria and management associated with TP53 P/LP variants and Li-Fraumeni syndrome.

Defining the Price Tag of Complications Following Pancreatic Surgery: A US National Perspective.

INTRODUCTION: Pancreatic surgery tends to have a high rate of postoperative complications due to its complex nature, significantly increasing hospital costs. Our aim was to describe the true association between complications and hospital costs in a national cohort of US patients. METHODS: The National Inpatient Sample was used to conduct a retrospective analysis of elective pancreatic resections performed between 2004 and 2017, categorizing them based on whether patients experienced major complications (MaC), minor complications (MiC), or no complications (NC). Multivariable quantile regression was used to analyze how costs varied at different percentiles of the cost curve. RESULTS: Of 37,893 patients, 45.3%, 28.6%, and 26.1% experienced NC, MiC, and MaC, respectively. Factors associated with MaC were a Charlson Comorbidity Index of ≥4, prolonged length of stay, proximal pancreatectomy, older age, male sex, and surgery performed at hospitals with a small number of beds or at urban nonteaching hospitals (all P < 0.01). Multivariable quantile regression revealed significant variation in MiC and MaC across the cost curve. At the 50th percentile, MiC increased the cost by $3352 compared to NC while MaC almost doubled the cost of the surgery, increasing it by $20,215 (both P < 0.01). The association between complications and cost was even greater at the 95th percentile, increasing the cost by $10,162 and $108,793 for MiC and MaC, respectively (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: MiC and MaC were significantly associated with increased hospital costs. Furthermore, the relationship between MaC and costs was especially apparent at higher percentiles of the cost curve.

Hospital Designations and Their Impact on Guideline-Concordant Care and Survival in Pancreatic Cancer. Do They Matter?

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) requires complex multidisciplinary care. European evidence suggests potential benefit from regionalization, however, data characterizing the ideal setting in the United States are sparse. Our study compares the significance of four hospital designations on guideline-concordant care (GCC) and overall survival (OS). PATIENTS AND METHODS: The Texas Cancer Registry was queried for 17,071 patients with PDAC treated between 2004 and 2015. Clinical data were correlated with hospital designations: NCI designated (NCI), high volume (HV), safety net (SNH), and American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer accredited (ACS). Univariable (UVA) and multivariable (MVA) logistic regression were used to assess associations with GCC [on the basis of National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) recommendations]. Cox regression analysis assessed survival. RESULTS: Only 43% of patients received GCC. NCI had the largest associated risk reduction (HR 0.61, CI 0.58-0.65), followed by HV (HR 0.87, CI 0.83-0.90) and ACS (HR 0.91, CI 0.87-0.95). GCC was associated with a survival benefit in the full (HR 0.75, CI 0.69-0.81) and resected cohort (HR 0.74, CI 0.68-0.80). NCI (OR 1.52, CI 1.37-1.70), HV (OR 1.14, CI 1.05-1.23), and SNH (OR 0.78, CI 0.68-0.91) all correlated with receipt of GCC. For resected patients, ACS (OR 0.63, CI 0.50-0.79) and SNH (OR 0.50, CI 0.33-0.75) correlate with GCC. CONCLUSIONS: A total of 43% of patients received GCC. Treatment at NCI and HV correlated with improved GCC and survival. Including GCC as a metric in accreditation standards could impact survival for patients with PDAC.

Prospective, Multi-Institutional, Real-Time Next-Generation Sequencing of Pancreatic Cyst Fluid Reveals Diverse Genomic Alterations That Improve the Clinical Management of Pancreatic Cysts.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Next-generation sequencing (NGS) of pancreatic cyst fluid is a useful adjunct in the assessment of patients with pancreatic cyst. However, previous studies have been retrospective or single institutional experiences. The aim of this study was to prospectively evaluate NGS on a multi-institutional cohort of patients with pancreatic cyst in real time. METHODS: The performance of a 22-gene NGS panel (PancreaSeq) was first retrospectively confirmed and then within a 2-year timeframe, PancreaSeq testing was prospectively used to evaluate endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration pancreatic cyst fluid from 31 institutions. PancreaSeq results were correlated with endoscopic ultrasound findings, ancillary studies, current pancreatic cyst guidelines, follow-up, and expanded testing (Oncomine) of postoperative specimens. RESULTS: Among 1933 PCs prospectively tested, 1887 (98%) specimens from 1832 patients were satisfactory for PancreaSeq testing. Follow-up was available for 1216 (66%) patients (median, 23 months). Based on 251 (21%) patients with surgical pathology, mitogen-activated protein kinase/GNAS mutations had 90% sensitivity and 100% specificity for a mucinous cyst (positive predictive value [PPV], 100%; negative predictive value [NPV], 77%). On exclusion of low-level variants, the combination of mitogen-activated protein kinase/GNAS and TP53/SMAD4/CTNNB1/mammalian target of rapamycin alterations had 88% sensitivity and 98% specificity for advanced neoplasia (PPV, 97%; NPV, 93%). Inclusion of cytopathologic evaluation to PancreaSeq testing improved the sensitivity to 93% and maintained a high specificity of 95% (PPV, 92%; NPV, 95%). In comparison, other modalities and current pancreatic cyst guidelines, such as the American Gastroenterology Association and International Association of Pancreatology/Fukuoka guidelines, show inferior diagnostic performance. The sensitivities and specificities of VHL and MEN1/loss of heterozygosity alterations were 71% and 100% for serous cystadenomas (PPV, 100%; NPV, 98%), and 68% and 98% for pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PPV, 85%; NPV, 95%), respectively. On follow-up, serous cystadenomas with TP53/TERT mutations exhibited interval growth, whereas pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors with loss of heterozygosity of ≥3 genes tended to have distant metastasis. None of the 965 patients who did not undergo surgery developed malignancy. Postoperative Oncomine testing identified mucinous cysts with BRAF fusions and ERBB2 amplification, and advanced neoplasia with CDKN2A alterations. CONCLUSIONS: PancreaSeq was not only sensitive and specific for various pancreatic cyst types and advanced neoplasia arising from mucinous cysts, but also reveals the diversity of genomic alterations seen in pancreatic cysts and their clinical significance.

Lenvatinib inhibits the growth of gastric cancer patient-derived xenografts generated from a heterogeneous population.

BACKGROUND: Lenvatinib is a multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor that is being tested in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors to treat advanced gastric cancer; however, little data exists regarding the efficacy of lenvatinib monotherapy. Patient-derived xenografts (PDX) are established by engrafting human tumors into immunodeficient mice. The generation of PDXs may be hampered by growth of lymphomas. In this study, we compared the use of mice with different degrees of immunodeficiency to establish PDXs from a diverse cohort of Western gastric cancer patients. We then tested the efficacy of lenvatinib in this system. METHODS: PDXs were established by implanting gastric cancer tissue into NOD.Cg-PrkdcscidIl2rgtm1Wjl/SzJ (NSG) or Foxn1nu (nude) mice. Tumors from multiple passages from each PDX line were compared histologically and transcriptomically. PDX-bearing mice were randomized to receive the drug delivery vehicle or lenvatinib. After 21 days, the percent tumor volume change (%Δvtumor) was calculated. RESULTS: 23 PDX models were established from Black, non-Hispanic White, Hispanic, and Asian gastric cancer patients. The engraftment rate was 17% (23/139). Tumors implanted into NSG (16%; 18/115) and nude (21%; 5/24) mice had a similar engraftment rate. The rate of lymphoma formation in nude mice (0%; 0/24) was lower than in NSG mice (20%; 23/115; p < 0.05). PDXs derived using both strains maintained histologic and gene expression profiles across passages. Lenvatinib treatment (mean %Δvtumor: -33%) significantly reduced tumor growth as compared to vehicle treatment (mean %Δvtumor: 190%; p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Nude mice are a superior platform than NSG mice for generating PDXs from gastric cancer patients. Lenvatinib showed promising antitumor activity in PDXs established from a diverse Western patient population and warrants further investigation in gastric cancer.

Outcomes of Interventional Management of Coronary Artery Disease in Kidney Transplant Recipients.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death among kidney transplant (KT) recipients. Trials routinely exclude patients with end-stage renal disease when assessing the effect of coronary artery revascularization. We looked to compare long-term outcomes in patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) before KT with those managed medically. METHODS: We identified all patients who underwent coronary artery catheterization before KT from January 2008 to November 2019 at the Cleveland Clinic. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality. RESULTS: A total of 272 patients were included, of whom 52 (19.11%) underwent PCI, and the remaining 220 patients were managed medically. The median age in the PCI group was 57.4 years (interquartile range [IQR], 46.9-61.2 years), whereas it was 53.9 years (IQR, 44.6-61 years) in the group medically managed. Baseline characteristics including sex, race, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, and hyperlipidemia were comparable in both groups. The median time to KT was 2.4 years (IQR, 1-5 years) in the PCI group vs 1.2 years (IQR, 0.6-3.3 years) in the medically managed group (P = .001). Among patients who underwent PCI, 40.4% had single vessel disease and 59.6% had multivessel disease compared with 16.8% and 28.6%, respectively, in the medically managed group (P < .001). Overall, there was no difference in mortality in the PCI group compared with the medically managed group after 10 years of follow-up (P = .416). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with coronary artery disease can be safely treated with PCI before KT and have comparable outcomes to those who are managed medically.

Machine Learning Improves Prediction Over Logistic Regression on Resected Colon Cancer Patients.

INTRODUCTION: Despite advances, readmission and mortality rates for surgical patients with colon cancer remain high. Prediction models using regression techniques allows for risk stratification to aid periprocedural care. Technological advances have enabled large data to be analyzed using machine learning (ML) algorithms. A national database of colon cancer patients was selected to determine whether ML methods better predict outcomes following surgery compared to conventional methods. METHODS: Surgical colon cancer patients were identified using the 2013 National Cancer Database (NCDB). The negative outcome was defined as a composite of 30-d unplanned readmission and 30- and 90-d mortality. ML models, including Random Forest and XGBoost, were built and compared with conventional logistic regression. For the accounting of unbalanced outcomes, a synthetic minority oversampling technique (SMOTE) was implemented and applied using XGBoost. RESULTS: Analysis included 528,060 patients. The negative outcome occurred in 11.6% of patients. Model building utilized 30 variables. The primary metric for model comparison was area under the curve (AUC). In comparison to logistic regression (AUC 0.730, 95% CI: 0.725-0.735), AUC's for ML algorithms ranged between 0.748 and 0.757, with the Random Forest model (AUC 0.757, 95% CI: 0.752-0.762) outperforming XGBoost (AUC 0.756, 95% CI: 0.751-0.761) and XGBoost using SMOTE data (AUC 0.748, 95% CI: 0.743-0.753). CONCLUSIONS: We show that a large registry of surgical colon cancer patients can be utilized to build ML models to improve outcome prediction with differential discriminative ability. These results reveal the potential of these methods to enhance risk prediction, leading to improved strategies to mitigate those risks.

Disparities in Guideline-Concordant Treatment and Survival Among Border County Residents With Gastric Cancer.

PURPOSE: Previous studies have shown health disparities among US-Mexico border county (BC) residents. However, the impact of BC residence on gastric cancer treatment and survival outcomes is unknown. Our study compares the receipt of guideline-concordant care (GCC) and survival for patients with gastric cancer by BC status. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of adult non-Hispanic White and Hispanic patients with gastric adenocarcinoma diagnosed between 2004 and 2017 in the Texas Cancer Registry. Chi-square tests were used to compare categorical group differences, with pooled t-tests used to compare group means. The impact of BC residence on likelihood of receiving GCC was assessed with logistic regression. Overall survival was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared with log-rank tests. RESULTS: Our cohort consisted of 12,514 patients (15% BC). Overall, 45% of nonborder county residents received GCC versus 35% of BC residents (P < .0001). After adjusting for age, race, stage, and insurance status, BC patients remained significantly less likely to receive GCC (odds ratio 0.69; 95% CI, 0.61 to 0.78). BC residence was associated with increased hazard of all-cause mortality after accounting for age, race, stage, poverty index, and treatment receipt (hazard ratio 1.11; 95% CI, 1.04 to 1.18). BC residents had significantly worse overall survival for localized and regional disease. CONCLUSION: BC residents with gastric cancer are less likely to receive GCC and have significantly worse survival outcomes than nonborder county residents. This highlights significant health care disparities arising from the lack of health care access and multiple social determinants of health. Further studies are needed to identify specific contributing mechanisms to improve health care equity.

Socioeconomic and racial/ethnic disparities in receipt of palliative care among patients with metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Patients with metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) suffer symptoms of both end-stage liver disease and cancer. Palliative care (PC) enhances the quality of life via symptom control and even improves survival for some cancers. Our study characterized rates of PC utilization among metastatic HCC patients and determined factors associated with PC receipt. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of adult National Cancer Database patients diagnosed with metastatic HCC between 2004 and 2016. Chi-square tests were used to analyze two cohorts: those who received PC and those who did not. Logistic regression was performed to assess the impact of clinicodemographic factors on the likelihood of receiving PC. RESULTS: PC utilization was low at just 17%. Later year of diagnosis, insured status, and higher education level were associated with an increased likelihood of receiving PC. Treatment at academic centers or integrated network cancer programs increased the likelihood of receiving PC compared to treatment at a community center (odds ratio [OR] = 1.17, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.03-1.33 and OR = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.07-1.45; respectively). Hispanics were significantly less likely to received PC than non-Hispanic Whites (OR = 0.73, 95% CI = 0.64-0.82). CONCLUSIONS: PC utilization among patients with metastatic HCC remains low. Targeted efforts should be enacted to increase the delivery of PC in this group.

The presentation of Hispanic gastric cancer patients varies by location of patient ancestry.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The clinical presentation of gastric cancer varies between racial and ethnic groups. While historically studied as a monolithic population, the Hispanic ethnicity is comprised of heterogenous groups with considerable biologic, socioeconomic, and cultural variability; therefore, intragroup differences among Hispanic gastric cancer patients may have been overlooked in past research. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of the National Cancer Database (NCDB) to compare Hispanic patients with gastric adenocarcinoma diagnosed between 2004 and 2015, by NCDB-reported location of patient ancestry. RESULTS: We identified a cohort of 3811 patients. There were higher proportions of females, patients with early disease onset, and stage 4 disease among patients of Mexican and South/Central American ancestry. Additionally, a significantly larger proportion of Mexican (15%) and South/Central American patients (11%) were diagnosed before age 40, in contrast to Cubans (2%), Dominicans (6%), and Puerto Ricans (3%; p < 0.0001). Mexican ancestry was independently associated with an increased rate of all-cause mortality at 5 years (hazard ratio: 1.34; 95% confidence interval: 1.09-1.64). CONCLUSIONS: Significant clinical and epidemiological differences exist among Hispanic gastric cancer patients based on location of ancestry. Future data collection endeavors should strive to capture this granularity inherent to the Hispanic ethnicity.

Facilitating Surveillance of Incidental Findings Using a Novel Reporting Template: Proof of Concept in Patients With Pancreatic Abnormalities.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the surveillance impact of utilizing a discrete field in structured radiology reports in patients with incidental pancreatic findings. METHODS: We implemented a dictation template containing a discrete structured field element to auto-trigger listing of patients with incidental pancreatic findings on a pancreas clinic registry in the electronic health record. We isolated CT and MRI reports with incidental pancreatic findings over a 24-month period. We stratified patients by presence or absence of the discrete field element in reports (flagged versus unflagged) and evaluated the impact of report flagging on likelihood of clinic follow-up, follow-up imaging, endoscopic ultrasound, surgical intervention, genetics referral, obtaining pathologic diagnosis, and time interval between index imaging to various outcomes. RESULTS: Patients with flagged reports were more likely to be seen or discussed in a pancreas clinic compared with those with unflagged reports (189 of 376, 50.3% versus 79 of 474, 16.7%; P <. 001). Patients with flagged reports were more likely to get follow-up imaging than patients with unflagged reports (188 of 376, 50.0% versus 121 of 474, 25.5%; P < .001) and were more likely to undergo appropriate management of actionable findings compared with patients in the unflagged group (23 of 62, 37.1% versus 28 of 129, 21.7%; P = .036). DISCUSSION: Implementation of a structured discrete field element for reporting of patients with incidental pancreatic findings had positive impact on surveillance measures and can be applied in other organ systems with established surveillance guidelines to standardize patient care.

Treatment and Survival Disparities of Colon Cancer in the Texas-Mexico Border Population: Cancer Disparities in Border Population.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have reported healthcare disparities in the Texas-Mexico border population. Our aim was to evaluate treatment utilization and oncologic outcomes of colon cancer patients in this vulnerable population. METHODS: Patients with localized and regional colon cancer (CC) were identified in the Texas Cancer Registry (1995-2016). Clinicopathological data, hospital factors, receipt of optimal treatment, and overall survival (OS) were compared between Texas-Mexico Border (TMB) and the Non-Texas-Mexico Border (NTMB) cohorts. Multivariable analysis was performed to identify risk factors associated with decreased survival. RESULTS: We identified 43,557 patients with localized/regional CC (9% TMB and 91% NTMB). TMB patients were more likely to be Hispanic (73% versus 13%), less likely to have private insurance (13% versus 21%), were more often treated at safety net hospitals (82% versus 22%) and less likely at ACS-CoC accredited hospitals (32% versus 57%). TMB patients were more likely to receive suboptimal treatment (21% versus 16%) and had a lower median OS for localized (8.58 versus 9.58 y) and regional colon cancer (5.75 versus 6.18 y, all P < 0.001). In multivariable analysis, TMB status was not associated with worse OS. Factors associated with worse survival included receipt of suboptimal treatment, Medicare/insured status, and treatment in safety net and non-accredited ACS-CoC hospitals (all P < 0.001) CONCLUSIONS: While TMB CC patients had worse OS, TMB status itself was not found to be a risk factor for decreased survival. This survival disparity is likely associated with higher rate of suboptimal treatment, Medicare/Uninsured status, and decreased access to ACS-CoC accredited hospitals.

Tumor Biology Impacts Survival in Surgically Managed Primary Hepatic Vascular Malignancies.

BACKGROUND: Hepatic angiosarcoma (AS) and hepatic epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (HEHE) are rare primary hepatic vascular malignancies (PHVM) that remain poorly understood. To guide management, we sought to identify factors and trends predicting survival after surgical intervention using a national database. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a retrospective analysis of the National Cancer Database patients with a diagnosis of PHVM were identified. Clinicopathologic factors were extracted and compared. Overall survival (OS) was estimated and predictors of survival were identified. RESULTS: Three hundred ninty patients with AS and 216 with HEHE were identified. Only 16% of AS and 36% of HEHE patients underwent surgery. The median OS for patients who underwent surgical intervention was 97 months, with 5-year OS of 30% for AS versus 69% for HEHE patients (P< 0.001). Tumor biology strongly impacted OS, with AS histology (Hazard Ratio [HR] of 3.61 [1.55-8.42]), moderate/poor tumor differentiation (HR = 3.86 [1.03-14.46]) and tumor size (HR = 1.01 [1.00-1.01]) conferring worse prognosis. The presence of metastatic disease in the surgically managed cohort (HR = 5.22 [2.01-13.57]) and involved surgical margins (HR = 3.87 [1.59-9.42]), were independently associated with worse survival. CONCLUSIONS: In this national cohort of PHVM, tumor biology, in the form of angiosarcoma histology, tumor differentiation and tumor size, was strongly associated with worse survival after surgery. Additionally, residual tumor burden after resection, in the form of positive surgical margins or the presence of metastasis, was also negatively associated with survival. Long-term clinical outcomes remain poor for patients with the above high-risk features, emphasizing the need to develop effective forms of adjuvant systemic therapies for this group of malignancies.