Journal of the Pancreas最新文献

Despite strong evidence suggestive of associations between hepatic diseases and pancreas injury, a potential relationship between acute hepatitis and acute pancreatitis has not been a matter of review; which we focused on in the current paper. Some of the main findings of this review article are: fulminant hepatitis failure represents the highest incident rate of hepatitis-related acute pancreatitis; so a screening program might be indicative in these patients. Specific characteristics of HAV-related pancreatitis are that it is a benign condition with no reported mortality; and a male preponderance in the incidence, with females developing in older ages and having shown the signs of both conditions simultaneously. The incidence of acute pancreatitis in HBV infection is the lowest, but the mortality was the highest. HEV-related acute pancreatitis was most likely to represent pseudocysts and there was an apparent ethnic-priority with Indian descents, the only reported cases in the literature. Hepatitis-related pancreatitis in liver transplant recipients was most frequent in HBV infected patients; and in IFN-induced pancreatitis, cessation of the drug was most effective in treatment, with no catastrophic event reported.

Context: Pancreatic cancer is still associated with a high mortality and morbidity for affected patients. To this date the role of neoadjuvant therapy in the standard treatment of pancreatic cancer remains elusive. The aim of our study was to review the latest results and current approaches in neoadjuvant therapy of pancreatic cancer.

Methods: We performed a literature review for neoadjuvant therapy in pancreatic cancer. We divided the results into resectable disease and local advanced pancreatic cancer.

Results: Neoadjuvant therapy in pancreatic cancer is safe. But currently no standard guidelines exist in neoadjuvant approaches on pancreatic cancer. For local advanced pancreatic cancer the available data tends to show a positive effect on survival rates for neoadjuvant approaches.

Conclusion: For resectable disease we found no benefit of neoadjuvant therapy. The negative or positive effects of neoadjuvant treatment in pancreatic cancer remain unclear for the lack of sufficient and prospective data.

Context: Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is one of the most lethal malignancies worldwide. In patients with unresectable tumor there are several strategies of palliative chemotherapy, either gemcitabine based regimens or FOLFIRINOX, which is supposed to be most efficient but also most toxic. Hence, management of toxicity is crucial to perform a therapy consisting of FOLFIRINOX.

Case report: We report on a 69-year-old female patient suffering from adenocarcinoma of the pancreatic tail with multiple liver metastases. Palliative chemotherapy comprising leucovorin, fluorouracil, oxaliplatin and irinotecan (FOLFIRINOX) was initiated in February 2011 and was tolerated very well. Subsequent computed tomography-scans showed significant reduction of the tumor load in the liver as well as in the primary pancreatic tumor. The serum levels of the tumor marker CA 19-9 were elevated initially and decreased concomitantly. Thus, chemotherapy was continued for more than 3 years, and up to 72 cycles were administered until April 2014. Due to intermittent neutropenia and mucositis the initial dose was reduced to 60% of the calculated standard dose. In April 2014, an intermediate staging by computed tomography and FDG-PET revealed significant reduction of the size of the primary pancreatic tumor compared with February 2011. Liver metastases could hardly be detected anymore. After pausing chemotherapy for 12 weeks, one liver metastasis reappeared and was treated by RFA in August 2014. Meanwhile, in October 2014 there is no radiological evidence on any existing tumor or metastasis.

Conclusion: Our report demonstrates that a sufficient tolerance of chemotherapy with FOLFIRINOX is achievable, what makes a long term treatment with FOLFIRINOX feasible and can lead to impressive results.

Context: Molecular analysis of pancreatic cyst fluid obtained by EUS-FNA may increase diagnostic accuracy. We evaluated the utility of cyst-fluid molecular analysis, including mutational analysis of K-ras, loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at tumor suppressor loci, and DNA content in the diagnoses and surveillance of pancreatic cysts.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the Columbia University Pancreas Center database for all patients who underwent EUS/FNA for the evaluation of pancreatic cystic lesions followed by surgical resection or surveillance between 2006-2011. We compared accuracy of molecular analysis for mucinous etiology and malignant behavior to cyst-fluid CEA and cytology and surgical pathology in resected tumors. We recorded changes in molecular features over serial encounters in tumors under surveillance. Differences across groups were compared using Student's t or the Mann-Whitney U test for continuous variables and the Fisher's exact test for binary variables.

Results: Among 40 resected cysts with intermediate-risk features, molecular characteristics increased the diagnostic yield of EUS-FNA (n=11) but identified mucinous cysts less accurately than cyst fluid CEA (P=0.21 vs. 0.03). The combination of a K-ras mutation and ≥2 loss of heterozygosity was highly specific (96%) but insensitive for malignant behavior (50%). Initial data on surveillance (n=16) suggests that molecular changes occur frequently, and do not correlate with changes in cyst size, morphology, or CEA.

Conclusions: In intermediate-risk pancreatic cysts, the presence of a K-ras mutation or loss of heterozygosity suggests mucinous etiology. K-ras mutation plus ≥2 loss of heterozygosity is strongly associated with malignancy, but sensitivity is low; while the presence of these mutations may be helpful, negative findings are uninformative. Molecular changes are observed in the course of cyst surveillance, which may be significant in long-term follow-up.

Context: Cancer is a prothrombotic state and anticancer therapies are often complicated by vascular events. The risk of developing thromboembolic events is substantially increased in patients with pancreatic cancer. One possible presentation of vascular events in pancreatic cancer is disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC).

Case report: In our case a patient with a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer initially presented with thrombosis and received low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) in addition to standard chemotherapy regimen. He was thought to have DIC by assessment of clinical and laboratory findings.

Conclusion: Clinically, thrombosis was first located in the left femoral vein and encountered at right femoral artery after three weeks. This pattern was an unusual presentation of DIC. Subclinical DIC is common in patients presenting with pancreatic cancer and is considered a 'poor' prognostic factor. Acute DIC, on the other hand is a potentially mortal condition.

Crohn's disease, a transmural inflammatory bowel disease, has many well-known extra-intestinal manifestations and complications. Although acute pancreatitis has a higher incidence in patients with Crohn's disease as compared to the general population, acute pancreatitis is still relatively uncommon in patients with Crohn's disease. Patients with Crohn's disease are at an approximately fourfold higher risk than the general population to develop acute pancreatitis. The risk of developing acute pancreatitis is higher in females as compared to males. Acute pancreatitis can occur at any age with higher incidence reported in patients in their 20s and between 40-50 years of age. The severity and prognosis of acute pancreatitis in patients with Crohn's disease is the same as in general population. Acute pancreatitis can occur before onset of intestinal Crohn's disease, this presentation being more common in children than adults. It can also occur as the presenting symptom. However, most commonly it occurs after intestinal symptoms have manifest with a mean time interval between the initial presentation and development of acute pancreatitis being 2 years. There are several etiological factors contributing to acute pancreatitis in patients with Crohn's disease. It is not clear whether acute pancreatitis is a direct extra-intestinal manifestation of Crohn's disease; however, majority of the cases of acute pancreatitis in patients with Crohn's disease are due to GS and medications. Drugs used for the treatment of Crohn's disease that have been reported to cause acute pancreatitis include 5-ASA agents, azathioprine and 6 mercaptopurine, metornidazole and corticosteroids. Recent evidence has emerged correlating both type 1 and 2 autoimmune pancreatitis with Crohn's disease. Understanding the association between the two disease entities is key to effectively manage patients with Crohn's disease and acute pancreatitis.

Context: The potential of lazaroid U-74389G in attenuating injury after ischemia and reperfusion has been reported in various organs.

Objective: The present study focuses specifically on the pancreas and aims to examine any effects of U-74389G in a swine model of pancreatic ischemia and reperfusion, encompassing ischemic preconditioning.

Methods: Twelve pigs, weighing 28-35 kg, were randomized into two experimental groups. Group A (control group, n=6): Two periods of ischemic preconditioning (5 min each) separated by a 5-min rest interval; then ischemia time 30 min and reperfusion for 120 min. Group B (n=6): the same as above, with U-74389G intravenous injection in the inferior vena cava immediately prior to the initiation of reperfusion. Blood sampling and pancreatic biopsies were conducted at 0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 min after reperfusion.

Results: Repeated-measures ANOVA was undertaken to evaluate differences between the two study groups. No statistically significant differences were noted concerning the histopathological parameters in the control and therapy groups (P=0.563 for edema, P=0.241 for hemorrhage, P=0.256 for leukocyte infiltration, P=0.231 for acinar necrosis and P=0.438 for vacuolization). In accordance with the above, serum metabolic data (glucose, creatinine, urea, total and direct bilirubin, total calcium, amylase, lipase, SGOT/AST, SGPT/ALT, ALP, GGT, LDH, CRP, insulin) were not significantly different between the two groups; similarly, tumor necrosis factor-α values (P=0.705) and tissue malondialdehyde levels (P=0.628) did not differ between the two groups.

Conclusion: This swine model of pancreatic ischemia and reperfusion, encompassing preconditioning, indicates that U-74389G lazaroid does not seem to exert protective effects from pancreatic damage.

Chronic pancreatitis is a challenging disease; the constellation of chronic abdominal pain and metabolic derangements present unique difficulties to the treating physician. Initial treatment revolves around lifestyle modification, pain control, and management of exocrine insufficiency. In refractory cases, total pancreatectomy with islet cell auto transplantation (TP-IAT) is an option for patients with diffuse disease not amenable to subtotal pancreatectomy or a decompressive (drainage) operation. This procedure aspires to alleviate pain and avoid surgically induced brittle diabetes, a morbid complication of total pancreatectomy alone. Herein, we review the indications, optimal timing, surgical outcomes and controversies for TP-IAT, focusing on recently published reports.

Context: Arterial pseudoaneurysm is an uncommon lethal complication following hepato-pancreato-biliary surgery.

Objective: Aim of this study is to present and discuss the experience of a high volume oncological center.

Methods: Since 2007 all major surgeries performed at Sanchinarro Oncological Center have been included in a prospective database looking for postoperative arterial pseudonaurysm.

Results: Until June 2014, among 559 hepato-pancreato-biliary procedures, a total of 14 arterial pseudoaneurysms have been identified (2.5%). Sentinel bleeding was in 57% of cases. Failed arterial embolization occurred in 2 cases. Overall mortality rate was 28.5%. We also identified 3 asymptomatic pseudoaneurysms, one of them managed without embolization, developing a sudden bleeding and died after surgery.

Conclusions: According to our experience, pseudoaneurysm incidence is higher than reported in current literature and it can be successfully managed through arterial embolization. Furthermore, we found 3 asymptomatic pseudoaneurysms, whose management is still controversial.

Context: Pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive malignant diseases in which the survival rate has not improved in the past 40 years.

Case report: A fifty-one-year-old male patient with inoperable metastatic pancreatic cancer and low response to chemotherapy with gemcitabine as single therapy underwent palliative high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) ablation. Continuing chemotherapy with folinic acid, oxaliplatin and 5-fluorouracil (FOLFOX) was made. Tools, provided by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) were used to evaluate his quality of life. The Global Health Status improved from 25 to 42 out of 100 and the body mass index (BMI) increased from 14.9 to 18.1 kg/m(2). Measured by the visual analog scale, the pain was reduced from 7 to 2 out of 10. Twelve months after the HIFU ablation, CT revealed decreased size of the tumor and liver lesions.

Conclusion: FOLFOX plus interventional, physical destruction of the primary tumor by HIFU sufficiently improved the quality of life, reduced pancreatic pain and provided better survival in this case.