Textbook outcome and survival after gastric cancer resection with curative intent: A population-based analysis.

BACKGROUND: The concept of textbook outcome (TO) has been proposed for analyzing quality of surgical care. This study assessed the incidence of TO among patients undergoing curative gastric cancer resection, predictors for TO achievement, and the association of TO with survival. METHOD: All patients with gastric and gastroesophageal junction cancers undergoing curative gastrectomy between January 2014-December 2017 were identified from a population-based database (Spanish EURECCA Registry). TO included: macroscopically complete resection at the time of operation, R0 resection, ≥15 lymph nodes removed and examined, no serious postoperative complications (Clavien-Dindo ≥II), no re-intervention, hospital stay ≤14 days, no 30-day readmissions and no 90-day mortality. Logistic regression was used to assess the adjusted achievement of TO. Cox survival regression was used to compare conditional adjusted survival across groups. RESULTS: In total, 1293 patients were included, and TO was achieved in 541 patients (41.1%). Among the criteria, "macroscopically complete resection" had the highest compliance (96.5%) while "no serious complications" had the lowest compliance (63.7%). Age (OR 0.53 for the 65-74 years and OR 0.34 for the ≥75 years age group), Charlson comorbidity index ≥3 (OR 0.53, 95%CI 0.34-0.82), neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (OR 0.24, 95%CI 0.08-0.70), multivisceral resection (OR 0.55, 95%CI 0.33-0.91), and surgery performed in a community hospital (OR 0.65, CI95% 0.46-0.91) were independently associated with not achieving TO. TO was independently associated with conditional survival (HR 0.67, 95%CI 0.55-0.83). CONCLUSION: TO was achieved in 41.1% of patients who underwent gastric cancer resection with curative intent and was associated with longer survival.

H. pylori eradication does not reduce paraprotein levels in monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance (MGUS): a prospective cohort study.

Monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance (MGUS) is a chronic haematological alteration that carries a 1% risk per year of malignant evolution. The origin of this disturbance remains unknown. Previous reports have suggested that a subgroup of patients presenting MGUS might cure after Helicobacter pylori eradication. This study evaluates the effect of H. pylori eradication in a cohort of 30 patients with MGUS. A 7-day clarithromycin-based triple treatment was prescribed to patients with MGUS infected with H. pylori. Quantification of the monoclonal component was performed at inclusion and at least 12 months after treatment. The monoclonal component persisted unchanged in all patients who cured the H. pylori infection.

Ranitidine-bismuth citrate, tetracycline and metronidazole followed by triple therapy as alternative strategy for Helicobacter pylori treatment: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Eradication rates of triple therapy--a proton pump inhibitor, clarithromycin and amoxicillin twice daily for 7 days--are suboptimal in some areas of the world. Triple therapy combining ranitidine-bismuth citrate, tetracycline and metronidazole is a very effective second-line therapy. Management strategies including this treatment as first-line therapy may represent a reasonable choice. AIM: To evaluate the efficacy of a strategy combining ranitidine-bismuth citrate triple therapy followed by a proton pump inhibitor-based triple therapy for Helicobacter pylori eradication in a pilot study. PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred and thirty-six consecutive H. pylori-positive patients were treated with 400 mg ranitidine-bismuth citrate twice daily, 500 mg tetracycline three times daily and 500 mg metronidazole three times daily for 7 days. Second-line therapy consisted of 20 mg omeprazole twice daily, 500 mg clarithromycin twice daily and 1 g amoxicillin twice daily for 7 days. The efficacy of the treatment was evaluated by histology or the urea breath test. RESULTS: Cure rates were 109/136 patients [80.2%; 95% confidence interval (CI), 72-86%] by intention to treat and 109/127 (85.8%; 95% CI, 78-91%) per protocol. Fifteen of the patients with treatment failure received second-line treatment. Cure rates for the strategy as a whole were 119/136 (87.5%; 95% CI, 81-92%) by intention to treat and 119/123 (96.8%; 95% CI, 92-99%) per protocol. CONCLUSIONS: The strategy achieves good eradication rates. As the first-line therapy avoids the use of clarithromycin, it could be useful in areas where high resistance to this antibiotic lead to poor results with triple therapy.

A randomized study of the safety of outpatient care for patients with bleeding peptic ulcer treated by endoscopic injection.

BACKGROUND: Outpatient management is safe for patients with non-variceal upper-GI bleeding who are at low risk of recurrent bleeding and death. However, outpatient care cannot be offered to many patients because of the presence of risk factors (severe comorbid disorders, major endoscopic stigmata of bleeding, significant hemorrhage). The present study assessed the safety of outpatient management for selected high-risk patients with bleeding peptic ulcer. METHODS: Patients hospitalized with upper-GI bleeding because of peptic ulcer with a non-bleeding vessel were eligible for inclusion in the study. Inclusion criteria were the following: ulcer size less than 15 mm, absence of hypovolemia, no associated severe disease, and appropriate family support. After endoscopic therapy (injection of epinephrine and polidocanol), patients were randomized to outpatient or hospital care. Patients remained in the emergency ward for a minimum of 6 hours before discharge, during which time omeprazole was administered intravenously. Outpatients were contacted by telephone daily during the first 3 days; a 24-hour telephone hotline was provided for any queries. For both groups, outpatient visits were scheduled at 7 to 10 and 30 days after discharge. RESULTS: A total of 82 patients were included: 40 were randomized to outpatient care and 42 to hospital care. Clinical and endoscopic variables were similar in both groups. The rate of recurrent bleeding was similar in both groups (4.8% outpatient, 5% hospital). There was no morbidity or mortality in either group at 30 days. Seven patients (17%) randomized to outpatient care received blood transfusion compared with 14 (38%) in the hospital care group (p=0.06). Mean cost of care per patient was significantly lower for the outpatient vs. the hospital group (970 US dollars vs. 1595 US dollars; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Selected patients with bleeding peptic ulcer can be safely managed as outpatients after endoscopic therapy. This policy conserves health care resources without compromising standards of care.