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Background Laparoscopic gastrectomy is more frequently associated with postoperative pancreatic fistula than is open gastrectomy. We assumed that compression of the pancreas with various devices to obtain a proper operative view is associated with the higher incidence of PF in LG and that the extent of the compression differs depending on the anatomical position of the pancreas. The present study aimed to elucidate the correlation between the anatomical position of the pancreas and PF after LG for gastric cancer. Methods Patients who underwent LG for gastric cancer from 2005 to 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. Two anatomical parameters representing the height of the slope looking down the celiac artery from the top of the pancreas (P-A length) and the steepness of the slope (UP-CA angle) were measured in computed tomography sagittal projections. The correlation between PF and (1) P-A length, (2) UP-CA angle, and (3) other clinicopathological factors was analyzed using a logistic regression model. Results Among 3485 patients, grade ≥ II PF was observed in 140 (4.0%) patients. The UP-CA angle [odds ratio (OR), 2.472; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.725–3.543; P  < 0.001], a high BMI (OR 2.339; 95% CI 1.634–3.348; P  < 0.001), and male sex (OR 2.602; 95% CI 1.590–4.257; P  < 0.001) were independently correlated with grade ≥ II PF. Conclusions The present study identified a significant correlation between anatomical position of the pancreas and PF after LG. High BMI and male sex were also significantly correlated with PF after LG.

Purpose Deciding palliative treatment for gastric bleeding from incurable gastric cancer (IGC) is worrying considering different patient situations and the lack of comprehensive assessment of palliative treatment. We evaluated the clinical outcomes and prognostic factors after palliative treatment for gastric bleeding from IGC. Methods We enrolled 48 consecutive patients with gastric bleeding from IGC who underwent palliative surgery (PS) or palliative radiotherapy (PRT). Results Of the 48 patients, 23 underwent PS and 25 received PRT. More patients who had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group-Performance Status (ECOG-PS) ≥ 2 or who received chemotherapy underwent PRT than underwent PS. Severe complications were observed in 2 (8.6%) patients after PS. After PRT, 22 patients achieved hemostasis (88%), but rebleeding was found in 10 (40%). Chemotherapy was introduced after palliative treatment for 21 (91.3%) patients in the PS group and 17 (68%) patients in the PRT group. The median survival time (MST) of patients with and without chemotherapy after PS was 12.5 and 3.1 months, respectively ( p  ≤ 0.001), while the MST of patients with and without chemotherapy after PRT was 6.5 and 1.6 months ( p  < 0.001). Multivariate analyses identified ECOG-PS, tumor size, and chemotherapy after palliative treatment as independent risk factors. Conclusions Palliative treatment strategies for gastric bleeding should be determined with consideration of the general condition, previous chemotherapy, and chemotherapy after palliative treatment.

Background The recurrence patterns and therapeutic outcomes of patients with recurrent esophageal cancer after curative esophagectomy are not fully understood. Methods Data on recurrence patterns and sites of recurrence in patients with recurrent esophageal cancer after curative esophagectomy from 2005 to 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. Time to recurrence after curative esophagectomy and survival after recurrence were compared among groups stratified by recurrence pattern and site. Multivariate analysis was performed to identify clinicopathological parameters influencing survival after recurrence. Results Of the 290 patients identified, a single pattern of recurrence occurred in 224 patients (77.2%) and a multiple pattern of recurrence occurred in 66 patients (22.8%). The most frequent recurrence pattern was lymph node in 173 patients (59.7%), followed by distant organ in 133 patients (45.9%). Median time to recurrence and median survival after recurrence of all patients were 228 and 327 days, respectively. Among patients with lymph node or lung recurrence, there were 5-year survivors after recurrence who underwent multimodal therapy. Multivariate analysis revealed that longer disease-free interval [hazard ratio (HR) 0.70, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.52–0.93], single pattern of recurrence (HR 0.54, 95% CI 0.39–0.74), and curative treatment for recurrence (HR 0.17, 95% CI 0.10–0.28) were significantly associated with favorable prognosis. Conclusions Although the prognosis of recurrent esophageal cancer remains unfavorable, if multimodal treatment that includes local therapy was curative, prognosis could improve, especially in patients with lymph node or lung recurrence.

Ensuring a pathologically negative distal margin (DM) and preserving a larger remnant stomach is important for proximal gastrectomy (PG) in patients with esophagogastric junction (EGJ) cancer. However, the minimum DM length for ensuring negative margins has not been identified. We enrolled patients undergoing PG or total gastrectomy for EGJ cancer. A parameter ΔDM, representing the pathological extension distally beyond the gross tumor boundary, was evaluated. The maximum ΔDM, which indicates the minimum length ensuring a pathologically negative DM, was determined in all patients. Subgroup analyses were performed according to factors associated with ΔDM > 10 mm. The possible incidences of pathologically positive DM based on gross DM length were also calculated. Among 253 eligible patients, the maximum ΔDM was 55 mm. Growth and pathological types were significantly associated with ΔDM > 10 mm. In subgroup analyses, the maximum ΔDM was 30/20/55 mm for the superficial/expansive/infiltrative growth types, and 55/40 mm for the differentiated/undifferentiated types. In the infiltrative growth type alone, the maximum ΔDM remained 55/40 mm for the differentiated/undifferentiated types. However, even if the gross DM length was reduced to 30 mm, the possible incidence of pathologically positive DM only increased to 2.6% in the infiltrative differentiated type. We recommend a minimum DM length of 30/20/55 mm for the superficial/expansive/ infiltrative growth types. Specifically in the infiltrative growth type, we alternatively recommend 30/40 mm for the differentiated/undifferentiated types, with a mandatory intraoperative frozen section analysis. Mini-abstract This study proposes a distal margin length for safe resection of esophagogastric junction cancer, ensuring pathologically negative margins while preserving a larger remnant stomach, based on growth and pathological types.

Background The relationship between preoperative prealbumin levels and long-term prognoses in patients with gastric cancer after gastrectomy has not been fully investigated. This study clarified the effect of preoperative prealbumin levels on the long-term prognosis of patients with gastric cancer after gastrectomy. Methods This retrospective cohort study included consecutive patients who underwent radical gastrectomy for primary pStage I–III gastric cancer and whose preoperative prealbumin levels were measured between May 2006 and March 2017. Participants were categorized according to their preoperative prealbumin levels into high (≥22 mg/dL), moderate (15–22 mg/dL), and low (<15 mg/dL) groups. The overall survival (OS) in the three groups was compared using the log-rank test, and prognostic factors were identified using Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. Results The median follow-up duration was 66 months. Of 4732 patients, 3649 (77.2%) were classified as high, 925 (19.6%) as moderate, and 158 (3.3%) as low. Lower prealbumin levels were associated with poorer prognoses ( P  < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that prealbumin levels of 15–22 mg/dL [hazard ratio (HR): 1.576, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.353–1.835, P  < 0.001] and <15 mg/dL (HR: 1.769, 95% CI: 1.376–2.276, P  < 0.001) were independent poor prognostic factors for OS. When analyzed according to the cause of death, prealbumin levels were associated with other-cause survival, but not cancer-specific survival. Conclusions Preoperative prealbumin levels correlated with OS in patients with gastric cancer after gastrectomy; the lower the prealbumin level, the worse is the prognosis. Prealbumin levels may be associated with other-cause survival.

BackgroundDuring esophagectomy for esophageal cancer, meticulous attention is needed to prevent thermal injury to the vital organs, such as the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) and tracheobronchus. In order to clarify the novel mechanism behind thermal injury induced by energy devices, we investigated the temperature of steam with the use of two different devices under wet and dry conditions.MethodsAn ultrasonic device (Sonicision™) and a vessel sealing device (Ligasure™) were studied. We evaluated the temperature at the tip of the devices and the steam when the devices were activated under different grasping ranges, under four different combinations of device and muscle, and under four different wet/dry conditions (dry–dry, dry–wet, wet–dry, and wet–wet).ResultsAlthough the maximum temperature of the devices was significantly higher with Sonicision™ than with Ligasure™, the maximum temperature of the steam was significantly higher with Ligasure™ than with Sonicision™ in almost all situations. At 1 mm away from Sonicision™, the critical temperature more than 60 °C was observed only when used with one-third grasping range under the wet–dry or the wet–wet conditions. In case of Ligasure™, high-temperature steam was observed when used with one-third grasping under the wet–dry or the wet–wet condition and two-third grasping under the dry–wet, the wet–dry, or the wet–wet condition. Under the wet condition, the emission of steam from the non-grasping part of Ligasure™ caused a spike in temperature that exceeded the critical temperature.ConclusionWe demonstrated that the use of energy devices under a wet condition generates steam from the non-grasping part of the devices. The temperatures of steam from Ligasure™ were significantly higher than that from Sonicision™. To prevent thermal injury to the vital organs, a very attentive and meticulous surgical technique is imperative considering the characteristics of each device.

BackgroundThe situation of positive resection margins (PRMs) varies notably between Western and Asian countries. In the West, PRMs are associated with advanced disease and R1, whereas in Asia, PRMs are also considered in early disease because stomach preservation was recently prioritized. Furthermore, PRMs are usually resected to obtain R0. However, the oncological impact of PRMs and additional resection remains unclear. The aim of this study is to evaluate the oncological impact of PRMs in laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) for clinical stage (cStage) I gastric cancer.MethodsA total of 2121 patients who underwent LG for cStage I gastric cancer between 2007 and 2015 were enrolled. Survival outcomes were compared between patients with PRMs (group P) and those without (group N). Furthermore, prognostic factors were analyzed using multivariate analysis.ResultsTwenty-seven patients (1.3%) had PRMs. Patients in group P had upper and more advanced disease, and the 5-year relapse-free survival (RFS) rate was worse in group P compared with group N (76.3% vs. 95.1%, P = 0.003). The 5-year RFS of patients with pT2 or deeper (pT2–4) disease in group P was significantly worse than that of patients in group N (66.7% vs. 89.5%, P = 0.030) although that of patients with pT1 was not. Likelihood ratio tests showed that there was a significant interaction between pT status and PRM (P = 0.005).ConclusionPRM in cStage I gastric cancer is associated with advanced upper disease. It remains an independent prognostic factor in pT2–4 disease even after an additional resection to obtain R0.

Background Preoperative malnutrition is believed to contribute to increased postoperative complications. Preoperative serum prealbumin level was reported to be a predictor of nutritional status and postoperative complications after gastrointestinal surgery, including gastrectomy. Gastric outlet obstruction caused by gastric cancer leads to insufficient nutritional status. However, the impact of preoperative enteral nutrition using naso-jejunal feeding tubes for patients with gastric outlet obstruction is not fully understood. Methods From July 2010 to June 2020, 50 patients with gastric cancer-induced outlet obstruction who underwent gastrectomy following preoperative enteral nutrition via feeding tube were included. We investigated the relationship between changes in nutritional status after preoperative enteral nutrition and postoperative complications. Postoperative complications were defined as grade ≥II based on the Clavien–Dindo classification. Results The median period of preoperative enteral nutrition was 10 days. The median increase rate of the serum prealbumin level was 10.5% (interquartile range, 0.63–38.2%), and patients with an increase rate ≥ 10% were defined as the elevated group. Postoperative morbidity was significantly higher in the non-elevated group ( P  = 0.0031). Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that an increased rate of the serum prealbumin level was an independent risk factor of postoperative complications for patients with gastric outlet obstruction caused by gastric cancer ( P  = 0.0025 and P  = 0.009, respectively). Conclusions Preoperative enteral nutrition improved the serum prealbumin level of patients with gastric cancer-induced outlet obstruction, and an increased rate of prealbumin can be an indicator of sufficient preoperative enteral nutrition and decreased postoperative morbidity.

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to clarify the clinical features and outcomes of patients with recurrence after esophagectomy following neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) related to the timing of recurrence.MethodsWe reviewed 240 consecutive patients who underwent NAC followed by esophagectomy for clinical stage II/III esophageal squamous cell carcinoma between 2009 and 2014. We compared the clinical features and survival after recurrence among groups of patients stratified by the timing of recurrence diagnosis and identified the risk factors for early recurrence (ER).ResultsRecurrence was identified within 1 year in 61 patients and after 1 year in 23 patients. Significant differences were observed between the patients with recurrence within 1 year (early recurrence; ER) and those with recurrence after 1 year (late recurrence; LR). The ER patients had more advanced tumors and higher pretreatment serum squamous cell antigen (SCC-Ag) levels and less experienced downstaging than patients without recurrence (no recurrence; NR). Overall survival was significantly worse for the ER patients than for the LR patients. Multivariate analysis revealed that cN2-3, increased serum SCC-Ag levels, and clinical response to NAC were independent predictors of ER.ConclusionThe ER patients had distinctive clinical features from the LR and NR patients. Extensive lymph node metastasis, an elevated SCC-Ag, and inadequate response to NAC were identified as predictors of ER.

Aim A positive resection margin (RM) is associated with poor survival after gastrectomy for gastric cancer (GC). However, the adequate RM length to avoid a positive RM remains controversial. We performed a systematic review to examine the RM length required to avoid a positive RM in gastrectomy for GC. Methods This systematic review involved all relevant articles identified in PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and ClinicalTrials.gov until August 2023. The incidence of a positive RM related to the RM length and the possible incidence of a positive RM estimated from the discrepancy between the gross and pathological RM length were evaluated. The Newcastle–Ottawa Scale was used to quantify study quality. Results Thirteen studies involving 8983 patients were analyzed. Investigation of the incidence of a positive RM in relation to the RM length showed that a proximal RM length of 6 cm guaranteed a negative RM in gastrectomy. Analyses of the possible incidence of a positive RM revealed that a negative RM would be guaranteed if the proximal RM length was 6 cm in distal gastrectomy, if the esophageal resection length was 2 cm in total gastrectomy for GC without esophageal invasion and 2.5 cm in total or proximal gastrectomy for GC with esophageal invasion or esophagogastric junction cancer, and if the distal RM length was 4 cm in proximal gastrectomy for early GC. Conclusions The adequate RM lengths to ensure a pathologically negative RM in each type of gastrectomy for GC were herein suggested. In gastrectomy for gastric cancer, a pathologically negative resection margin is essential to obtain curative resection because a positive resection margin is associated with poor survival. In this systematic review and meta‐analysis, we examined literature and investigated the adequate resection margin lengths required to avoid a positive resection margin in gastrectomy for gastric cancer.