Annals of Surgical Oncology最新文献

Regardless of approach, safe and effective parenchymal transection is critical for hepatectomies.¹ In robotic surgery, this can be accomplished via several methods. The authors highlight some of the more common tools and techniques used to transect the liver. The Vessel Sealer Extend is a console-controlled device with bipolar energy, mechanical cutting, full-wristed articulation, and grasping abilities that allow it to replicate the clamp-crush technique while sealing small vessels. However, the jaw is bulky and suboptimal for firm/fibrotic livers.^2,3 The Synchroseal shares many features of the Vessel Sealer Extend but has thinner jaws, making it easier to advance in firm livers, and lacks a cutting blade, relying instead on a cut electrode to divide tissue. Proteinaceous char can accumulate on the jaws, impairing its effectiveness, but intermittent irrigation can mitigate this. The robotic Harmonic Scalpel coagulates, transects, and precisely dissects parenchyma. However, it is limited in length and lacks wristed articulation.^4,5 Ultrasonic surgical aspiratory devices allow for precise, atraumatic dissection around vasculobiliary structures, but no robotic-integrated versions currently exist. Therefore, application of this technology in robotic surgery requires an experienced bedside assistant operating the laparoscopic version while the console surgeon uses robotic instruments to coagulate, clip, and divide larger structures.^6-9 The dual bipolar technique is useful for spot coagulation and dissection but has limited transection ability.¹⁰ It often is an adjunct to other transection techniques.^11-13 Several methods exist for robotic parenchymal transection, and although none are perfect, they can be combined for safe and effective transection.

Background: Perioperative chemotherapy is the standard treatment modality for locally advanced gastric cancer. However, the efficacy and indication of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients who have already received neoadjuvant chemotherapy remain unclear. This study aims to explore the association between adjuvant chemotherapy with patient prognosis in those who have received neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus D2 gastrectomy in a real-world setting, and whether this association is affected by the duration of neoadjuvant treatment.

Patients and methods: A total of 174 patients with cT3-4N+ gastric cancer who had received neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus D2 radical gastrectomy were included in the study. Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank tests were used to assess and compare the survival outcomes between patients who received adjuvant therapy and those who did not.

Results: Patients who were younger age, had a lower American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grade, did not experience postoperative complication, and received fewer than six cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy were more likely to receive adjuvant chemotherapy, rather than those with advanced ypTNM stage or poor tumor regression grade. Patients who received adjuvant therapy had a better overall survival (OS) (2-year OS rate 86.2% versus 64.1%, p = 0.002). Adjuvant therapy was associated with longer survival in patients who remained ypTNM stage III despite receiving at least six cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. However, there was no significant longer survival observed in patients with ypTNM stages 0-II receiving adjuvant chemotherapy, even when they received less than six cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Conclusions: Patients with locally advanced gastric cancer may still need adjuvant chemotherapy, even after receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The value of adjuvant chemotherapy after neoadjuvant chemotherapy depends more on the actual downstaging effect achieved after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, rather than the completion of "full intended" cycles of perioperative treatment.

Background: Talimogene laherparapvec (T-VEC) is a modified herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and the first oncolytic virus to be approved for the treatment of unresectable melanoma. We assessed whether there are tumor-intrinsic genetic factors that are associated with tumor control.

Methods: A single-institution, retrospective analysis of melanoma patients treated with T-VEC was performed. Demographics, histopathologic reports, treatment history, clinical outcomes, and tumor genomic analysis of approximately 100 genes were collected.

Results: Ninety-three patients who had received T-VEC were identified, of whom 84 (91%) were diagnosed with cutaneous melanoma. Sixty-nine (69) patients received more than one dose of T-VEC and had sufficient data available for clinical analysis. Of these patients 30.0% (n = 21) had evidence of a complete response, defined as complete regression of all lesions without the need for additional treatment or procedures. Stage III disease (p < 0.001), absence of macroscopic nodal disease (p < 0.001), and absence of visceral/central nervous system metastases (p = 0.004) were all associated with evidence of any clinical response or local control by univariate analysis. At the time of analysis, 54 patients had tumor genetic data available. Sixty genes were mutated in at least one patient, and all but one patient had at least one gene mutation identified. Presence of TERT promotor mutation was associated with evidence of any clinical response (p = 0.043) or local control (p = 0.039) by multivariate analysis.

Conclusions: This work describes the experience using T-VEC in melanoma at a single institution and highlights the presence of TERT promotor mutations as a possible driver of clinical response.

Background: The authors hypothesized that small ribonucleic acid (sRNA) obtained from blood samples after neoadjuvant therapy from patients treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy (NACRT) could serve as a novel biomarker for predicting pathologic complete response (pCR).

Methods: This study included 99 patients treated with esophagectomy after NACRT between March 2010 and October 2021 whose blood samples were collected between the end of NACRT and surgery. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) was used to analyze sRNAs from the blood samples. A predictive model for pCR comprising micro-RNA isoforms (isomiR), transfer RNA (tRNA)-derived sRNAs (tsRNAs), and clinical factors was constructed using cross-validation.

Results: Of the 99 patients, pCR was diagnosed for 30 and non-pCR for 69 of the patients. Among sRNAs, the isomiRs of let-7b and miR-93 and the tsRNA group derived from tRNA-Gly-CCC/GCC were identified as predictive factors. The clinical factors included a decrease in the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) at the primary site, clinical complete response post-NACRT, preoperative biopsy, and post-NACRT carcinoembryonic antigen levels. The combined predictive model for pCR (C-PM) was established using the three sRNAs and four clinical factors. The area under the curve for the C-PM was 0.84, which was a significant factor in the multivariate analysis (odds ratio, 89.41; 95 % confidence interval 8.1-987.5; p < 0.001).

Conclusions: Pathologic complete response after NACRT can be predicted by a predictive model constructed from preoperative clinical factors obtained via minimally invasive procedures and sRNA identified by NGS. Preoperative pCR prediction may influence treatment decision-making after NACRT.

The efficacy of preoperative treatment for pancreatic cancer (PC) has been reported in randomized controlled trials, but the optimal regimen and the appropriateness of combining radiotherapy remain controversial. Therefore, predicting the efficacy of preoperative treatment using biomarkers and determining whether to combine chemotherapy or radiotherapy based on the biology of individual tumors could help personalize treatment and maximize therapeutic outcomes. In this study, a microRNA (miRNA) microarray analysis was performed using peripheral blood plasma exosomes from 10 PC patients who underwent neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy, leading to the identification of miR-6855-5p as a candidate miRNA. miR-6855-5p was found to induce radioresistance in PC cells. In another cohort of 28 patients, it was observed that those with higher expression levels of miR-6855-5p in peripheral blood plasma exosomes tended to have increased radioresistance (r = - 0.5964). In future, measuring plasma exosomal miR-6855-5p before treatment could potentially lead to precision medicine by personalizing the decision of whether to include radiotherapy in the treatment plan.

Background: Synoptic operative reports (SORs) are checklists or templates that contain standardized elements of an operation. These elements are associated with standardized inclusion of critical elements of the operative report that translate into numerous potential benefits. Whereas SORs for melanoma, breast, and colorectal cancer surgery have already been widely implemented, similar templates for hepato-pancreato-biliary (HPB) cancer surgery are currently lacking.

Methods: An anonymous voluntary online survey was distributed to HPB attendings and fellows at HPB and complex general surgical oncology (CGSO) fellowship programs.

Results: The 54 participants in this study comprised 31 (57%) HPB surgery attendings, 15 (28%) HPB surgery fellows, and 8 (15%) CGSO fellows. Notably, only six (11%) participants reported consistent use of an HPB SOR. The most commonly reported barriers to SOR uptake were the "lack of a readily available template" (55%) and the "lack of consensus/guidelines" (49%). Despite these limiting factors, a majority of respondents indicated a strong willingness to use a standardized and readily available HPB SOR (mean, 4.13/5 ± 1.23). This interest did not differ between attendings and fellows (p = 0.52) or between the participants stratified by surgical experience (p = 0.58). Finally, the participants were provided a comprehensive list of possible elements to incorporate into a standardized pancreatic and hepatobiliary SOR. After the exclusion of elements with less than 75% agreement, the pancreatic SORs included 17 (57%) of 30 possible elements, and the hepatobiliary SORs included 19 (76%) of 25 possible elements.

Conclusion: Broad consensus on several elements of the HPB SOR suggests that uptake should be accelerated in HPB surgery.

Background: Perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (pCCA) is one of the most challenging tumours for hepatic surgeons. To reach radical resection, it is mandatory to extend the hepatectomy to segment 1 and biliary tract. With the advent of minimally invasive techniques, an increasing number of centres have begun to treat this tumour using robotic or laparoscopic approaches, demonstrating the ability to maintain oncological standards as well as morbidity and mortality criteria.

Patients and methods: This video presents a case of a 79-year-old man with pCCA Bismuth type IIIa, undergoing right hepatectomy extended to segment 1 and biliary tract after preoperative optimization including biliary drainage and portal vein and right hepatic vein embolization. Unlike conventional right hepatectomy, extending transection to include segment 1 requires identifying the plane defined by the Arantius duct.

Results: To reach this plane, we suggest using three approaches, previously described in other hepatectomies, were employed: dorsal and caudal approaches to the middle hepatic vein (MHV) and an extraglissonian intrahepatic approach to the left portal pedicle.

Conclusion: With this method, we achieved oncologically radical resection of pCCA using minimally invasive surgical techniques.

Background: Presence of positive biopsy margins in melanoma can provoke anxiety over potential disease progression from delays to surgical excision, but their impact on outcomes is unknown. We aimed to compare the presence of residual melanoma in the surgical excision specimen and survival between patients with negative, microscopically positive, and macroscopically positive biopsy margins.

Methods: Patients with cutaneous melanoma who underwent surgical excision over a 13-year period were included. Biopsy characteristics, residual disease in the surgical specimen, and overall and recurrence-free survival were compared between patients with negative, microscopically positive (only scar visible), and macroscopically positive (visible remaining melanoma) biopsy margins.

Results: Of 901 patients, 42.4%, 33.3%, and 24.3% had negative, microscopically positive, and macroscopically positive margins, respectively. The incidence of residual invasive melanoma in the surgical specimen varied (P < 0.001), occurring in 5.5%, 17.0%, and 74.9% of patients, respectively. Both microscopically and macroscopically positive margins were associated with residual disease (P < 0.001) but only the latter predicted worse overall (P = 0.013) and recurrence-free survival (P = 0.009). Kaplan-Meier estimated survival was comparable between those with negative and microscopically positive margins, but overall (P = 0.006) and recurrence-free survival (P = 0.004) were significantly worse in the macroscopically positive margin group. These patients had worse prognosis melanoma, with 33.8% being stage III disease, and 23.2% having positive sentinel lymph nodes.

Conclusions: Patients and physicians may be reassured in the presence of microscopically positive biopsy margins which are not associated with worse survival, However, patients with macroscopically positive margins have poorer prognosis and should be treated within an acceptable time frame.