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IntroductionThe impact of liver cirrhosis on the difficulty of minimal invasive liver resection (MILR) remains controversial and current difficulty scoring systems do not take in to account the presence of cirrhosis as a significant factor in determining the difficulty of MILR. We hypothesized that the difficulty of MILR is affected by the presence of cirrhosis. Hence, we performed a 1:1 matched-controlled study comparing the outcomes between patients undergoing MILR with and without cirrhosis including the Iwate system and Institut Mutualiste Montsouris (IMM) system in the matching process.MethodsBetween 2006 and 2019, 598 consecutive patients underwent MILR of which 536 met the study inclusion criteria. There were 148 patients with cirrhosis and 388 non-cirrhotics. One-to-one coarsened exact matching identified approximately exact matches between 100 cirrhotic patients and 100 non-cirrhotic patients.ResultsComparison between MILR patients with cirrhosis and non-cirrhosis in the entire cohort demonstrated that patients with cirrhosis were associated with a significantly increased open conversion rate, transfusion rate, need for Pringles maneuver, postoperative, stay, postoperative morbidity and postoperative 90-day mortality. After 1:1 coarsened exact matching, MILR with cirrhosis were significantly associated with an increased open conversion rate (15% vs 6%, p = 0.03), operation time (261 vs 238 min, p  < 0.001), blood loss (607 vs 314 mls, p  = 0.002), transfusion rate (22% vs 9%, p  = 0.001), need for application of Pringles maneuver (51% vs 34%, p  = 0.010), postoperative stay (6 vs 4.5 days, p  = 0.004) and postoperative morbidity (26% vs 13%, p  = 0.029).ConclusionThe presence of liver cirrhosis affected both the intraoperative technical difficulty and postoperative outcomes of MILR and hence should be considered an important parameter to be included in future difficulty scoring systems for MILR.

Background This study is a systematic review and meta-analysis that compares the short- and long-term outcomes of laparoscopic gastric resection (LR) versus open gastric resection (OR) for gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs). Methods Comparative studies reporting the outcomes of LR and OR for GIST were reviewed. Results A total of 11 nonrandomized studies reviewed 765 patients: 381 LR and 384 OR. A higher proportion of high-risk tumors and gastrectomies were in the OR compared with LR (odds ratio, 3.348; 95 % CI, 1.248–8.983; p  = .016) and (odds ratio, .169; 95 % CI, .090–.315; p  < .001), respectively. Intraoperative blood loss was significantly lower in the LR group [weighted mean difference (WMD), −86.508 ml; 95 % CI, −141.184 to −31.831 ml; p  < .002]. The LR group was associated with a significantly lower risk of minor complications (odds ratio, .517; 95 % CI, .277–.965; p  = .038), a decreased postoperative hospital stay (WMD, −3.421 days; 95 % CI, −4.737 to −2.104 days; p  < .001), a shorter time to first flatus (WMD, −1.395 days; 95 % CI, −1.655 to −1.135 days; p  < .001), and shorter time for resumption of oral intake (WMD, −1.887 days; 95 % CI, −2.785 to −.989 days; p  < .001). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups with regard to operation time (WMD, 5.731 min; 95 % CI, −15.354–26.815 min; p  = .594), rate of major complications (odds ratio, .631; 95 % CI, .202–1.969; p  = .428), margin positivity (odds ratio, .501; 95 % CI, .157–1.603; p  = .244), local recurrence rate (odds ratio, .629; 95 % CI, .208–1.903; p  = .412), recurrence-free survival (RFS) (odds ratio, 1.28; 95 % CI, .705–2.325; p  = .417), and overall survival (OS) (odds ratio, 1.879; 95 % CI, .591–5.979; p  = .285). Conclusions LR results in superior short-term postoperative outcomes without compromising oncological safety and long-term oncological outcomes compared with OR.

Background Liver resection (LR) is the main modality of treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM). Post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) remains the most dreaded complication. We aim to create a prognostic score for early risk stratification of patients undergoing LR. Methodology Clinical and operative data of 472 patients between 2000 and 2016 with HCC or CRLM undergoing major hepatectomy were extracted and analysed from a prospectively maintained database. PHLF was defined using the 50–50 criteria. Results Liver cirrhosis and fatty liver were histologically confirmed in 35.6% and 53% of patients. 4.7% ( n  = 22) of patients had PHLF. A 90-day mortality was 5.1% ( n  = 24). Pre-operative albumin–bilirubin score ( p  = 0.0385), prothrombin time ( p  < 0.0001) and the natural logarithm of the ratio of post-operative day 1 to pre-operative serum bilirubin (SB) (ln( POD1 Bil/ pre-op Bil); p  < 0.0001) were significantly independent predictors of PHLF. The PHLF prognostic nomogram was developed using these factors with receiver operating curve showing area under curve of 0.88. Excellent sensitivity (94.7%) and specificity (95.7%) for the prediction of PHLF (50–50 criteria) were achieved at cut-offs of 9 and 11 points on this model. This score was also predictive of PHLF according to Peak Bil > 7 and International Study Group for Liver Surgery criteria, intensive care unit admissions, length of stay, all complications, major complications, re-admissions and mortality ( p  < 0.05). Conclusions The PHLF nomogram ( https://tinyurl.com/SGH-PHLF-Risk-Calculator ) can serve as a useful tool for early identification of patients at high risk of PHLF before the ‘point of no return’. This allows enforcement of closer monitoring, timely intervention and mitigation of adverse outcomes.

Objective The aim of this study was to summarize the current literature comparing the surgical outcomes of invasive intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMN INV ) and conventional pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDAC) in order to determine the differences in disease characteristics and prognosis. Methods Systematic review of the literature yielded 12 comparative studies reporting the clinicopathological characteristics and overall survival (OS) of 1,450 patients with IPMN INV with 19,304 patients with conventional PDAC. Results IPMN INV had a significantly lower likelihood of tumors extending beyond the pancreas [27.6 vs. 94.3 %; T4 vs. T1: odds ratio (OR) 0.111, 95 % confidence intervals (CI) 0.057–0.214], nodal metastasis (45.4 vs. 62.9 %: OR 0.507, 95 % CI 0.347–0.741), positive margin (14.2 vs. 28.3 %; OR 0.438, 95 % CI 0.322–0.596), perineural invasion (49.2 vs. 76.5 %; OR 0.304, 95 % CI 0.106–0.877) and vascular invasion (25.2 vs. 45.7 % OR 0.417, 95 % CI 0.177–0.980) when compared with PDAC. The 5-year OS of IPMN INV was significantly better than PDAC [31.4 vs. 12.4 %: hazard ratio (HR) 0.659, 95 % CI 0.574–0.756]. The tubular subtype had a poorer 5-year OS and demonstrated significantly more aggressive features such as nodal metastases, vascular invasion, and perineural invasion compared with the colloid subtype. Conclusion IPMN INV were significantly more likely to present at an earlier stage and were less likely to demonstrate nodal involvement, perineural invasion and vascular invasion. When controlled for stage, IPMN INV had an improved OS when compared with PDAC in the early stages.

Background The surgical management of duodenal gastrointestinal stromal tumors (DGIST) is poorly characterized. Limited resection may be technically feasible and oncologically safe, but anatomic considerations may compromise the resection margins due to the proximity of critical structures, thereby necessitating more extensive resections such as pancreaticoduodenectomy. Methods Patients undergoing surgery for DGIST at two institutions from 1994 to 2014 were identified. Clinicopathologic and survival data were analyzed to compare outcomes in patients treated with limited or radical resection. Results Sixty patients underwent surgery for DGIST. Pancreaticoduodenectomy was performed in 38 % while the rest underwent limited resections. The most common type of limited resection was wedge resection and primary closure (49 %) followed by segmental resection with an end-to-end or side-to-side duodenojejunostomy (27 %). The pancreaticoduodenectomy group tended to have larger tumors with the majority located in D2/3 (87 %) and at the mesenteric border (91 %). The pancreaticoduodenectomy group also had significantly greater intraoperative blood loss, longer operative time, longer hospital stay, and higher 90-day morbidity and readmission rates. The 5-year relapse-free survival, recurrence-free survival, and overall survival for the pancreaticoduodenectomy versus limited resection were 81 versus 56 % ( p  = 0.05), 64 versus 53 % ( p  = 0.5), and 76 versus 72 % ( p  = 0.6), respectively. A surgical algorithm based on the location and size of the tumor is proposed. Conclusions Limited resection of DGIST is safe, but may be associated with lower 5-year relapse-free survival. Pancreaticoduodenectomy is recommended for selected patients with DGIST when an R0 resection cannot be performed without removing the ampulla or part of the pancreas.

Background: Minimally invasive pancreatic pancreatoduodenectomy (MIPD) is increasingly adopted worldwide and its potential advantages include reduced hospital stay and decrease pain. However, evidence supporting the role of MIPD for tumours requiring vascular reconstruction remains limited and requires further evaluation. This study aims to investigate the safety and efficacy of MIPD with vascular resection (MIPDV) by performing a 1:1 propensity-score matched (PSM) comparison with open pancreatoduodenectomy with vascular resection (OPDV) based on a single surgeon's experience. Methods: This is a retrospective review of 41 patients who underwent PDV between 2011 and 2020 by a single surgeon. After PSM, the comparison was made between 13 MIPDV and 13 OPDV. Results: Thirty-six patients underwent venous reconstruction (VR) only and 5 underwent arterial reconstruction of which 4 had concomitant VR. The types of VR included 22 wedge resections with primary repair, 8 segmental resections with primary anastomosis and 11 requiring interposition grafts. Post-operative pancreatic fistula (POPF) occurred in 3 (7.3%) patients. Major complications (>Grade 2) occurred in 16 (39%) patients, of which 7 were due to delayed gastric emptying requiring nasojejunal tube placement. There was 1 (2.4%) 30-day mortality (OPDV). Of the 13 MIPDV, there were 3 (23.1%) open conversions. PSM comparison demonstrated that MIPDV was associated with longer median operative time (720 min vs. 485 min (P = 0.018). There was no statistically significant difference in other key perioperative outcomes such as intra-operative blood loss, overall morbidity, major morbidity rate, POPF and length of stay. Conclusion: Our initial experience with the adoption MIPDV has demonstrated it to be safe with comparable outcomes to OPDV despite the longer operation time.

ObjectivesYttrium-90 (Y90)-radioembolisation (RE) significantly regresses locally advanced hepatocellular carcinoma and delays disease progression. The current study is designed to deeply interrogate the immunological impact of Y90-RE, which elicits a sustained therapeutic response.DesignTime-of-flight mass cytometry and next-generation sequencing (NGS) were used to analyse the immune landscapes of tumour-infiltrating leucocytes (TILs), tumour tissues and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) at different time points before and after Y90-RE.ResultsTILs isolated after Y90-RE exhibited signs of local immune activation: higher expression of granzyme B (GB) and infiltration of CD8+ T cells, CD56+ NK cells and CD8+ CD56+ NKT cells. NGS confirmed the upregulation of genes involved in innate and adaptive immune activation in Y90-RE-treated tumours. Chemotactic pathways involving CCL5 and CXCL16 correlated with the recruitment of activated GB+CD8+ T cells to the Y90-RE-treated tumours. When comparing PBMCs before and after Y90-RE, we observed an increase in tumour necrosis factor-α on both the CD8+ and CD4+ T cells as well as an increase in percentage of antigen-presenting cells after Y90-RE, implying a systemic immune activation. Interestingly, a high percentage of PD-1+/Tim-3+CD8+ T cells coexpressing the homing receptors CCR5 and CXCR6 denoted Y90-RE responders. A prediction model was also built to identify sustained responders to Y90-RE based on the immune profiles from pretreatment PBMCs.ConclusionHigh-dimensional analysis of tumour and systemic immune landscapes identified local and systemic immune activation that corresponded to the sustained response to Y90-RE. Potential biomarkers associated with a positive clinical response were identified and a prediction model was built to identify sustained responders prior to treatment.

BackgroundRecent studies have associated laparoscopic surgery with better overall survival (OS) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM). The potential benefits of laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) over open liver resection (OLR) have not been demonstrated in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCC).MethodsA systematic review of the PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases was performed to search studies comparing OS and perioperative outcome for patients with resectable iCC. Propensity-score matched (PSM) studies published from database inception to May 1, 2022 were eligible. A frequentist, patient-level, one-stage meta-analysis was performed to analyze the differences in OS between LLR and OLR. Second, intraoperative, postoperative, and oncological outcomes were compared between the two approaches by using a random-effects DerSimonian-Laird model.ResultsSix PSM studies involving data from 1.042 patients (530 OLR vs. 512 LLR) were included. LLR in patients with resectable iCC was found to significantly decrease the hazard of death (stratified hazard ratio [HR]: 0.795 [95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.638–0.992]) compared with OLR. Moreover, LLR appears to be significantly associated with a decrease in intraoperative bleeding (− 161.47 ml [95% CI − 237.26 to − 85.69 ml]) and transfusion (OR = 0.41 [95% CI 0.26–0.69]), as well as with a shorter hospital stay (− 3.16 days [95% CI − 4.98 to − 1.34]) and a lower rate of major (Clavien-Dindo ≥III) complications (OR = 0.60 [95% CI 0.39–0.93]).ConclusionsThis large meta-analysis of PSM studies shows that LLR in patients with resectable iCC is associated with improved perioperative outcomes and, being conservative, yields similar OS outcomes compared with OLR.