Factors influencing recurrence after curative resection for ampulla of Vater carcinoma

Prediction of tumor recurrence after surgical resection of ampullary adenocarcinoma using magnetic resonance imaging

OBJECTIVES

To predict tumor recurrence in patients who underwent surgical resection of ampullary adenocarcinoma using preoperative magnetic resonance (MR) imaging findings combined with clinical findings.

METHODS

In this multicenter study, a total of 113 patients (mean age, 62.9 ± 9.8 years; 58 men and 55 women) with ampullary adenocarcinoma who underwent preoperative MR imaging and surgery with margin-negative resection between 2006 and 2017 were retrospectively included. The MR imaging findings were evaluated by two radiologists. Preoperative clinical findings were obtained. Cox proportional regression analyses were used to identify the independent prognostic factors for recurrence-free survival (RFS). A nomogram was created based on the multivariable analysis and was internally validated.

RESULTS

Multivariable analysis revealed that presence of infiltrative tumor margin (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.18, p = 0.019), adjacent organ invasion (HR: 3.31, p = 0.006), adjacent vessel invasion (HR: 5.42, p = 0.041), peripancreatic lymph node enlargement (HR: 2.1, p = 0.019), and jaundice (HR: 1.93, p = 0.043) were significantly associated with worse RFS of ampullary adenocarcinoma after surgical resection. These MR imaging and clinical findings were used to construct a nomogram. On internal validation, the calibration plots showed excellent agreement between the predicted probabilities and the actual rates of tumor recurrence, with Harrell's c-index of 0.746.

CONCLUSIONS

Combination of preoperative MR imaging and clinical findings can be useful for predicting tumor recurrence after surgical resection of ampullary adenocarcinoma. Identifying these features before surgery may aid in better treatment planning and management of these patients.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT

A predictive nomogram using preoperative MR imaging and clinical findings can be useful in estimating the recurrence-free survival after surgical resection of ampullary adenocarcinoma.

KEY POINTS

• Presently, tumor size on imaging is the only non-invasive factor that correlates with recurrence-free survival from ampullary adenocarcinoma; other factors are obtained postoperatively. • Infiltrative tumor margin, adjacent organ invasion, adjacent vessel invasion, peripancreatic lymph node enlargement on MRI, and jaundice are significant predictors for recurrence. • A nomogram incorporating significant MR imaging and clinical findings showed good performance in predicting recurrence-free survival, which can help in treatment planning.

Clinical impact of ampulla of Vater cancer subtype classification based on immunohistochemical staining

BACKGROUND

The histological subtype is an important prognostic factor for ampulla of Vater (AoV) cancer. This study proposes a classification system for the histological subtyping of AoV cancer based on immunohistochemical (IHC) staining and its prognostic significance.

METHODS

Seventy-five AoV cancers were analyzed for cytokeratin 7 (CK7), CK20, and causal-type homeobox transcription factor 2 (CDX2) expression by IHC staining. We differentiated the subtypes (INT, intestinal; PB, pancreatobiliary; MIX, mixed; NOS, not otherwise specified) into classification I: CK7/CK20, classification II: CK7/CK20 or CDX2, classification III: CK7/CDX2 and examined their associations with clinicopathological factors.

RESULTS

Classifications I, II, and III subtypes were INT (7, 10, and 10 cases), PB (43, 37, and 38 cases), MIX (13, 19, and 18 cases), and NOS (12, 9, and 9 cases). Significant differences in disease-free survival among the subtypes were observed in classifications II and III using CDX2; the PB and NOS subtype exhibited shorter survival time compared with INT subtype. In classification III, an association was revealed between advanced T/N stage, poor differentiation, lymphovascular invasion (LVI), the PB and NOS subtypes, and recurrence risk. In classification III, the subtypes differed significantly in T/N stage and LVI. Patients with the PB subtype had advanced T and N stages and a higher incidence of LVI.

CONCLUSIONS

Classification using CDX2 revealed subtypes with distinct prognostic significance. Combining CK7 and CDX2 or adding CDX2 to CK7/CK20 is useful for distinguishing subtypes, predicting disease outcomes, and impacting the clinical management of patients with AoV cancer.

Proposal of nomograms to predict clinical outcomes in patients with ampulla of Vater cancer based on the Korea-Japan collaborative study

BACKGROUND

In this study, we aimed to develop and validate a nomogram to predict overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) in patients who underwent curative resection of ampulla of Vater (AOV) cancer. This is the first study for nomograms in AOV cancer patients using retrospective data based on an international multicenter study.

METHODS

A total of 2007 patients with AOV adenocarcinoma who received operative therapy between 2002 January and 2015 December in Korea and Japan were retrospectively assessed to develop a prediction model. Nomograms for 5-year OS and 3-year RFS were constructed by dividing the patients who received and who did not receive adjuvant therapy after surgery, respectively. Significant risk factors were identified by univariate and multivariate Cox analyses. Performance assessment of the four prediction models was conducted by the Harrell's concordance index (C-index) and calibration curves using bootstrapping.

RESULTS

A total of 2007 and 1873 patients were collected for nomogram construction to predict 5-year OS and 3-year RFS. We developed four types of nomograms, including models for 5-year OS and 3-year RFS in patients who did not receive postoperative adjuvant therapy, and 5-year OS and 3-year RFS in patients who received postoperative adjuvant therapy. The C-indices of these nomograms were 0.795 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.766-0.823), 0.712 (95% CI: 0.674-0.750), 0.804 (95% CI: 0.7778-0.829), and 0.703 (95% CI: 0.669-0.737), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

This predictive model could help clinicians to choose optimal treatment and precisely predict prognosis in AOV cancer patients.

Factors influencing patterns of recurrence following pancreaticoduodenectomy for patients with distal bile duct cancer and ampulla of Vater cancer

Backgrounds/Aims

Pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) is a standard surgical procedure for patients with periampullary cancer. During the follow-up period after PD, recurrence can be observed in various places with different prognosis. The aim of this study was to clarify the pattern of recurrence and factors affecting the survival of patients with periampullary cancer.

Methods

Overall, 88 patients who received PD for distal common bile duct cancer or ampulla of Vater cancer were finally included and their clinical characteristics were analyzed. Patients were divided into three groups: recurrence-free (RF) group, an isolated locoregional recurrence (LR) group, and a distant metastasis (DM) group. Prognostic factors affecting recurrence in each group were analyzed and a survival analysis was performed.

Results

Perineural invasion (PNI), T stage, and lymphovascular invasion (LVI) were significant risk factors for LR and PNI, lymph node metastasis, LVI, and T stage were associated with DM group compared to RF group in univariate analysis, respectively. N stage and PNI were significant risk factors (p = 0.046, p = 0.041) in overall survival of the LR and the DM groups. There was no significant difference in 5-year overall survival between the LR and DM groups.

Conclusions

T stage was a significant risk factor of LR, while PNI was a significant risk factor of DM. There was no significant difference in overall survival depending on the site of recurrence.

Surgical Outcomes and Comparative Analysis of Transduodenal Ampullectomy and Pancreaticoduodenectomy: A Single-Center Study

Background

Transduodenal ampullectomy (TDA) is performed for adenoma or early cancer of the ampulla of Vater (AoV). This study aimed to analyze the short- and long-term outcomes of TDA (TDA group) when compared with conventional pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) or pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD group).

Methods

Patients who underwent TDA between January 2006 and December 2019, and PD cases performed for AoV malignancy with carcinoma in-situ (Tis) (high-grade dysplasia, HGD) and T1 and T2 stage from January 2010 to December 2019 were reviewed.

Results

Forty-six patients underwent TDA; 21 had a benign tumor, and 25 cases with malignant tumors were compared with PD cases (n = 133). Operation time (p < 0.001), estimated blood loss (p < 0.001), length of hospital stays (p = 0.003), and overall complication rate (p < 0.001) were lower in the TDA group than in the PD group. Lymph node metastasis rates were 14.6% in pT1 and 28.9% in pT2 patients. The 5-year disease-free survival and 5-year overall survival rates for HGD/Tis and T1 tumor between the two groups were similar (TDA group vs PD group, 72.2% vs 77.7%, p = 0.550; 85.6% vs 79.2%, p = 0.816, respectively).

Conclusion

TDA accompanied with lymph node dissection is advisable in HGD/Tis and T1 AoV cancers in view of superior perioperative outcomes and similar long-term survival rates compared with PD.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1245/s10434-021-11190-9.

Surgical ampullectomy: A comprehensive review

Tumours of the ampulla of Vater are relatively uncommon lesions of the digestive system. They are typically diagnosed at an earlier stage than other types of tumours in this region, due to their tendency to invoke symptoms by obstructing the bile duct or pancreatic duct. Consequently, many are potentially curable by excision. Surgical ampullectomy (SA) (or transduodenal ampullectomy) for an ampullary tumour was first described in 1899, but was soon surpassed by pancreatoduodenectomy (PD), which offered a more extensive resection resulting in a lower risk of recurrence. Ongoing innovation in endoscopic techniques over recent decades has led to the popularization of endoscopic papillectomy (EP), particularly for adenomas and even early cancers. The vast majority of resectable ampullary tumours are now treated using either PD or EP. However, SA continues to play a role in specific circumstances. Many authors have suggested specific indications for SA based on their own data, practices, or interpretations of the literature. However, certain issues have attracted controversy, such as its use for early ampullary cancers. Consequently, there has been a lack of clarity regarding indications for SA, and no evidence-based consensus guidelines have been produced. All studies reporting SA have employed observational designs, and have been heterogeneous in their methodologies. Accordingly, characteristics of patients and their tumours have differed substantially across treatment groups. Therefore, meaningful comparisons of clinical outcomes between SA, PD and EP have been elusive. Nevertheless, it appears that suitably selected cases of ampullary tumours subjected to SA may benefit from favourable peri-operative and long-term outcomes with very low mortality and significantly long survival, hence its role in this setting warrants further clarification, while it can also be useful in the management of specific benign entities. Whilst the commissioning of a randomised controlled trial seems unlikely, well-designed observational studies incorporating adjustments for confounding variables may become the best available comparative evidence for SA, potentially informing the eventual development of consensus guidelines. In this comprehensive review, we explore the role of SA in the modern management of ampullary lesions.

Predictive value of metabolic activity detected by pre-operative 18F FDG PET/CT in ampullary adenocarcinoma

In ampullary adenocarcinoma cases, the clinical effects of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) have not yet been well-studied, unlike other prognostic factors that have been reported till date. This study aimed to investigate the clinical impact of maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) in predicting the prognosis of ampullary adenocarcinoma.Thirty-eight patients who underwent pre-operative 18F-FDG PET/CT and curative-intent resection of ampullary adenocarcinoma at Pusan National University Hospital (Pusan, South Korea) between 2008 and 2017 were retrospectively analyzed in this study. We evaluated the clinicopathologic outcomes according to the SUVmax using univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analyses and receiver operating characteristic analysis to arrive at a cutoff value.Lymph node metastasis was detected in 9 patients, and 15 patients experienced a recurrence during the follow-up period. Among 38 patients, 33 showed an increased FDG uptake by the main tumor. SUVmax of 4.55 was selected as a significant independent predictive factor for patient survival along with poor tumor differentiation and high neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in multivariate analysis (P = .016, hazard ratio = 5.040). Patients with SUVmax under 4.55 exhibited significantly longer overall survival than the rest (<4.55 vs ≥4.55), and the 5-year overall survival was 82.8% versus 57.4% (P = .049).SUVmax of 4.55 on 18F-FDG PET/CT could be a predictive factor for tumor biology and long-term survival in patients with ampullary adenocarcinoma. Nevertheless, considering the cost aspect and its limited prognostic effect, this study seems to require more patient and multicenter studies.

Treatment Approach to Adenocarcinoma of the Ampulla of Vater

OPINION STATEMENT

ACs are rare tumors, and thus, there is a lack of prospective trials supporting treatment decisions. Moreover, although anatomically uniform, ACs comprise of biologically distinct entities, depending on what cell type they arise from. This makes the interpretation of limited data even more challenging. Overall, the clinical outcomes of patients with AC are better than those with pancreatic cancer. However, recurrence rates remain high after curative resection. Despite the absence of definitive evidence, we believe that these high recurrence rates are a rational justification for consideration of adjuvant therapy in resected disease, and therapy selection should take tumor biology, stage, resection margins, as well as patient comorbidities and performance status into account. Largely extrapolating from pancreas cancer, we recommend consideration of adjuvant chemotherapy with 6 months of dose-modified FOLFIRINOX in fit patients with pancreatobiliary subtype tumors. Alternative regimens include gemcitabine in combination with capecitabine. If chemoradiotherapy is being added, 6 weeks of radiotherapy in conjunction with 5-FU or capecitabine can be considered. For intestinal subtypes, we recommend 3-6 months of adjuvant FOLFOX. Future studies are needed to evaluate the role of contemporary, multi-agent chemotherapy and chemoradiotherapy in patients with resected and advanced ampullary adenocarcinoma. However, the logistics of performing large randomized trials in patients with a rare cancer is challenging, and the data collection, even in a carefully designed study, would likely take many years. As such, relying on data from basket trials and retrospective analysis will likely serve as guidance for treatment decisions in the near future. Treatment of metastatic disease should employ regimens that are typically used to treat pancreas cancer for tumors of pancreatobiliary subtype and 5-FU-based regimens for intestinal subtypes. Studies specific for patients with advanced AC are much needed. Molecular testing using next-generation sequencing and testing for microsatellite instability (MSI) should be performed on all tumors. We now have disease agnostic options based on these results. Pembrolizumab is approved for MSI-H tumors and tumors with high tumor mutational burden regardless of the primary site. Larotrectinib is approved for tumors with NTRK fusions. At a time when numerous therapeutic agents are in development, for example, those targeting specific K-RAS alterations or NRG fusions, identifying molecular aberrations can significantly impact patient outcomes as well as provide further insights into the biology of disease. In addition, based on recent data suggesting a significant prevalence of germline alterations in patients with ampullary tumors, referral to genetics counselors and germline testing is warranted in a significant proportion of patients with AC.

Comparison of Oncologic Outcomes between Transduodenal Ampullectomy and Pancreatoduodenectomy in Ampulla of Vater Cancer: Korean Multicenter Study

Simple Summary

This study used multicenter data to compare the oncological safety of transduodenal ampullectomy (TDA) with that of pylorus-preserving pancreatoduodenectomy (PPPD) in early ampulla of Vater (AoV) cancer. Data for patients who underwent surgical resection for AoV cancer (pTis–T2 stage) from 2000 to 2019 were collected from 15 institutions. A total of 486 patients were enrolled (PPPD, 418; TDA, 68). The oncologic behavior (tumor size, T stage, differentiation, lymphovascular invasion) in the PPPD group was more aggressive than that in the TDA group at all T stages. The 5-year disease-free survival and overall survival did not differ between the two groups when considering all T stages or only the Tis + T1 group. In T1 patients, PPPD had survival outcomes superior to those in the TDA group. In the TDA group, lymph node dissection did not affect survival. In conclusion, PPPD should be the standard procedure for early AoV cancer.

Abstract

This study used multicenter data to compare the oncological safety of transduodenal ampullectomy (TDA) with that of pylorus-preserving pancreatoduodenectomy (PPPD) in early ampulla of Vater (AoV) cancer. Data for patients who underwent surgical resection for AoV cancer (pTis–T2 stage) from January 2000 to September 2019 were collected from 15 institutions. The clinicopathologic characteristics and survival outcomes were compared between the PPPD and TDA groups. A total of 486 patients were enrolled (PPPD, 418; TDA, 68). The oncologic behavior in the PPPD group was more aggressive than that in the TDA group at all T stages: larger tumor size (p = 0.034), advanced T stage (p < 0.001), aggressive cell differentiation (p < 0.001), and more lymphovascular invasion (p = 0.002). Five-year disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) did not differ between the two groups when considering all T stages or only the Tis+T1 group. Among T1 patients, PPPD produced significantly better DFS (PPPD vs. TDA, 84.8% vs. 66.6%, p = 0.040) and superior OS (PPPD vs. TDA, 89.1% vs. 68.0%, p = 0.056) than TDA. Lymph node dissection (LND) in the TDA group did not affect DFS or OS (TDA + LND vs. TDA-only, DFS, p = 0.784; OS, p = 0.870). In conclusion, PPPD should be the standard procedure for early AoV cancer.

Predictors of early recurrence following a curative resection in patients with a carcinoma of the ampulla of Vater

Purpose

Ampulla of Vater (AoV) carcinoma has a relatively good prognosis. The 5-year recurrence rate for AoV is still around 40%–50% however, and most recurrences occur in the early period. The aim of this study was to identify predictors of an early recurrence in AoV patients following a curative resection.

Methods

The clinicopathological data for 501 consecutive patients that underwent a resection for AoV in our institute between January 2000 and December 2015 were retrospectively reviewed. The characteristics of any recurrences and early recurrence patients were analyzed accordingly. Early recurrence was defined as occurring within one year of resection.

Results

There were 170 diagnosed recurrences in our study population, 57.1% of whom were men, with a mean age of 60.1 years (range, 30–94 years). Almost all of the study patients underwent a pancreaticoduodenectomy, and 9% underwent minimally invasive surgery. Of the 170 recurrent cases, 107 were diagnosed with an early recurrence and had 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival rates of 77.7%, 18.4%, 10.5%, respectively. The factors that significantly influenced early recurrences, determined by multivariate analysis, lymphovascular invasion (LVI), lymph node ratio (LNR), and poor differentiation were found to be independent determinants of a recurrence within 1 year.

Conclusion

An early recurrence in AoV patients is ultimately lethal even though this cancer has a good prognosis. LVI, LNR, and poor differentiation are powerful predictors of an early recurrence in AoV. Hence, intensive surveillance and new therapeutic strategies should be considered for AoV patients with these predictors following a curative resection.

Prognostic factors for long-term survival after pancreaticoduodenectomy for periampullary adenocarcinoma. A retrospective cohort study

Background

Periampullary adenocarcinoma (PAAC) had a poor prognosis, and pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) remains the only potentially curative treatment. The study aimed to identify the impact of different clinicopathological factors on long-term survival following PD for PAAC.

Patients and methods

This study is a retrospective cohort study for the patients who underwent PD for pathologically proven PAAC from January 2010 to January 2019. Statistical analysis was done using Cox regression multivariate analyses for independent risk factors for survival.

Result

There were 137 patients with PAAC who underwent PD, 79 patients (57.7%) underwent pylorus-preserving PD. Pancreatico-jejunostomy was done in 108 patients (78.8%). The primary analysis showed that risk factors for poor long-term survival include patients with co-morbidities like hypertension or ischemic heart disease, Carbohydrate Antigen 19-9 > 400U/ml, tumor size > 3 cm, poor tumor differentiation, positive lymph nodes invasion, lymphovascular invasion, and Perineural invasion. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that large tumor size > 3 cm (HR: 0.177, 95%CI: 0.084-0.374, P = 0.002), poorly differentiated tumor (HR: 0.059, 95%CI: 0.020-0.0174, P = 0.016), and perineural invasion in the pathological study (HR: 0.101, 95%CI: 0.046-0.224, P = 0.006) were independent risk factors for poor 5-years survival. The prognosis was better in ampullary adenocarcinoma (5-year survival was 42.1%) than pancreatic adenocarcinoma (5-year survival was 24.3%). The 1, 3, 5 and 7-year overall survival rates were 84.5%, 57.4%, 35.9% and 20.1% respectively.

Conclusion

It seems from the current study that Tumor size > 3 cm, poor tumor differentiation, and Perineural invasion were independent predictors of poor survival in patients with PAAC.

Does adjuvant treatment improve prognosis after curative resection of ampulla of Vater carcinoma? A multicenter retrospective study

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

Ampulla of Vater (AoV) carcinoma is a rare tumor that accounts for approximately 0.2% of gastrointestinal malignancies. There are no clinical guidelines concerning the treatment of AoV carcinoma. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of adjuvant treatment in AoV carcinoma following curative resection and define the "high-risk" group.

METHODS

Clinical data of patients who underwent curative resection for AoV carcinoma in four hospitals, namely Yonsei Gangnam Severance Hospital, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, and National Cancer Center (n = 651; 2002-2015), were reviewed. Overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates were compared using Kaplan-Meier estimates.

RESULTS

Data of 651 patients who had undergone curative resection were retrospectively reviewed. Age, T stage, N stage, and differentiation type remained strong and independent risk factors for RFS and OS. In early-stage AoV carcinoma (T1N0, T2N0), the non-adjuvant group had better prognosis based on the RFS and OS than the adjuvant group (P < .001, P = .007). In advanced T stage (T3N0, T4N0), the adjuvant group had better prognosis than the non-adjuvant group, but the difference was not statistically significant (P > .05). In node-positive patients (any T, N1/2), adjuvant treatment did not affect RFS and OS (P > .05).

CONCLUSIONS

Adjuvant treatment after curative resection of AoV carcinoma is not associated with improved survival. The high-risk group (node-positive or advanced T stage (T3, T4)) treated with adjuvant treatment was not statistically associated with improved survival; however, our study showed that the adjuvant treatment for the high-risk group might help achieve better patient outcome.

Prognostic factors for long-term survival after pancreaticoduodenectomy for periampullary adenocarcinoma. A retrospective cohort study

Background

Periampullary adenocarcinoma (PAAC) had a poor prognosis, and pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) remains the only potentially curative treatment. The study aimed to identify the impact of different clinicopathological factors on long-term survival following PD for PAAC.

Patients and methods

This study is a retrospective cohort study for the patients who underwent PD for pathologically proven PAAC from January 2010 to January 2019. Statistical analysis was done using Cox regression multivariate analyses for independent risk factors for survival.

Result

There were 137 patients with PAAC who underwent PD, 79 patients (57.7%) underwent pylorus-preserving PD. Pancreatico-jejunostomy was done in 108 patients (78.8%). The primary analysis showed that risk factors for poor long-term survival include patients with co-morbidities like hypertension or ischemic heart disease, Carbohydrate Antigen 19-9 > 400U/ml, tumor size > 3 cm, poor tumor differentiation, positive lymph nodes invasion, lymphovascular invasion, and Perineural invasion. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that large tumor size > 3 cm (HR: 0.177, 95%CI: 0.084–0.374, P = 0.002), poorly differentiated tumor (HR: 0.059, 95%CI: 0.020–0.0174, P = 0.016), and perineural invasion in the pathological study (HR: 0.101, 95%CI: 0.046–0.224, P = 0.006) were independent risk factors for poor 5-years survival. The prognosis was better in ampullary adenocarcinoma (5-year survival was 42.1%) than pancreatic adenocarcinoma (5-year survival was 24.3%). The 1, 3, 5 and 7-year overall survival rates were 84.5%, 57.4%, 35.9% and 20.1% respectively.

Conclusion

It seems from the current study that Tumor size > 3 cm, poor tumor differentiation, and Perineural invasion were independent predictors of poor survival in patients with PAAC.

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Periampullary adenocarcinoma (PAAC) is highly aggressive tumor.

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It has late diagnosis with poor prognosis.

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Pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) is still the only curative treatment option.

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PD surgery is associated with high morbidity and mortality.

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It is important to determine which patients who can receive benefit from surgery.

Prognostic factors and benefits of adjuvant therapy for ampullary cancer following pancreatoduodenectomy: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Ampullary cancer is a relatively rare gastrointestinal malignancy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate prognostic factors for survival and assess the benefits of adjuvant therapy following pancreaticoduodenectomy for this entity. Medline and EMBASE databases were searched to identify eligible studies from January 2000 to August 2019. Review Manager 5.3 statistical software was used for meta-analysis. 71 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis for a total of 8280 patients. The median (range) 5-year overall survival and disease-free survival rates were 58% (32-82%) and 51% (28-73%) respectively. In meta-analysis, age >65 years at diagnosis, tumor size >20 mm, poor differentiation, pancreaticobiliary histotype, pT3-4 stage disease, presence of metastatic lymph node, number of metastatic nodes, perineural invasion, lymphovascular invasion, vascular invasion, pancreatic invasion, and positive surgical margins were independently associated with worse overall survival, whereas adjuvant therapy was associated with improved overall survival. In summary, in patients with ampullary cancer undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy, tumor factors are the main predictors of worse survival and adjuvant treatment confers a survival benefit.

Recurrence patterns after pancreaticoduodenectomy for ampullary cancer

BACKGROUND

Few studies of the oncological outcomes of ampullary cancer have addressed recurrence, and many treatment-related issues remain unresolved. This study evaluated optimal surgical treatment strategies based on recurrence patterns after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) for ampullary cancer.

METHODS

Two hundred and fifty-nine patients who underwent PD with R0 resection for ampullary cancer from January 2000 to June 2012 were included. Generally, lymph node (LN) dissection extended to the right superior mesenteric artery (SMA). Recurrence was defined based on imaging studies. The first detected recurrence sites and patterns were analyzed.

RESULTS

During a mean follow-up of 51.3 months, recurrence occurred in 89 (34.4%) cases, most commonly in the liver. Poor differentiation, advanced T stage, and LN metastasis were identified as risk factors for recurrence. Locoregional and systemic recurrences occurred alone or simultaneously in 20.2%, 73.0%, and 6.7% of patients, respectively. Locoregional and systemic recurrences tended to occur in early- and advanced-stage cases, respectively. A nodal-type recurrence around mesenteric vessels was the most common locoregional recurrence pattern, and 58.8% (10/17) were located left of the SMA.

CONCLUSION

As nodal-type metastasis around the mesenteric vessels was the dominant recurrence pattern, careful LN dissection around the SMA should be considered for early and advanced ampullary cancers.

Surgical management of periampullary adenocarcinoma: defining an optimal prognostic lymph node stratification schema

Background: Lymph node (LN) metastasis is a strong predictor of unfavorable prognosis for patients with periampullary adenocarcinoma after surgical resection. We sought to assess the prognostic performance of several LN staging systems, including American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC)/ International Union Against Cancer (7th edition) N stage, the total number of LN (TLN), the number of metastatic LN (MLN), the lymph node ratio (LNR) and the log odds of MLNs (LODDS), in patients with periampullary adenocarcinoma after surgical resection and identify the optional LN staging system to accurately stratify patients with different prognoses. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 205 patients with periampullary adenocarcinoma after surgical resection. The predictive effects of several LN staging systems on overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS) for all included patients and patients with more than 12 TLNs examined were evaluated and compared using the time-dependent receive operating characteristic (ROC) curve and decision curve analysis (DCA), respectively. Results: Eighty-nine patients (43.4%) had LN metastasis and their survival was not significantly decreased compared with patients without LN metastasis. LODDS and LNR were able to stratify patients into various subgroups with significant differences of both OS and PFS. When assessed using ROC curve and DCA, LODDS outperformed LNR and other LN staging systems in predicting OS and PFS. In addition, when analyzed in patients with more than 12 TLNs examined, LODDS had a higher value of area under ROC curve (AUC) and showed better performance of DCA. Conclusion: LODDS performs better than other LN staging systems in predicting OS and PFS for patients with periampullary adenocarcinoma after surgical resection. Adequate LN dissection is necessary for curative surgery, as well as to achieve a more accurate staging of the disease and a more precise prediction of survival for these patients.

Nomograms predict long-term survival for patients with periampullary adenocarcinoma after pancreatoduodenectomy

BACKGROUND

The prognosis of patients with periampullary adenocarcinoma after pancreatoduodenectomy is diverse and not yet clearly illustrated. The aim of this study was to develop a nomogram to predict individual risk of overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with periampullary adenocarcinoma after pancreatoduodenectomy.

METHODS

A total of 205 patients with periampullary adenocarcinoma after pancreatoduodenectomy were retrospectively included. OS and PFS were evaluated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Two nomograms for predicting OS and PFS were established, and the predictive accuracy was measured by the concordance index (Cindex) and calibration plots.

RESULTS

Lymph node ratio (LNR), carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) and anatomical location were incorporated into the nomogram for OS prediction and LNR, CA19-9; anatomical location and tumor differentiation were incorporated into the nomogram for PFS prediction. All calibration plots for the probability of OS and PFS fit well. The Cindexes of the nomograms for OS and PFS prediction were 0.678 and 0.68, respectively. The OS and PFS survival times were stratified significantly using the nomogram-predicted survival probabilities.

CONCLUSIONS

The present nomograms for OS and PFS prediction can provide valuable information for tailored decision-making for patients with periampullary adenocarcinoma after pancreatoduodenectomy.

Impact of preoperative endoscopic cholangiography and biliary drainage in Ampulla of Vater cancer

BACKGROUND

Ampulla of Vater (AOV) carcinoma is a rare malignancy but has a relatively good prognosis. The aims of this study were to determine the clinicopathologic factors associated with survival and disease recurrence in patients with AOV cancer, focusing on the impact of preoperative endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and type of biliary drainage (endoscopic retrograde biliary drainage [ERBD] or percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage [PTBD]).

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 80 patients who underwent curative resection for AOV cancer at a single institution between 1995 and 2015. The clinicopathologic factors associated with survival and disease recurrence were analyzed using univariate and multivariable tests.

RESULTS

The 5-year disease-free and overall actuarial survival rates were 39.3% and 51.3%, respectively. Moderate or poor differentiation, preoperative ERCP, advanced T stage, lymph node metastases, advanced stage and lymphovascular invasion were associated with disease-free survival in univariate analyses. The prognosis was worse in patients who underwent ERBD than in patients who underwent PTBD or no biliary drainage. Multivariable analysis showed that advanced AJCC stage and preoperative ERCP were independent risk factors for recurrence. Patient who underwent preoperative ERCP had a significantly higher rate of early distant metastasis within 1 year, especially in patients with early stage AOV cancer.

CONCLUSIONS

Preoperative ERCP was an independent risk factor for postoperative recurrence in patients with AOV cancer, and is characterized by early distant metastasis in early stage cancer. Therefore, unnecessary ERCP should be avoided in patients with AOV cancer. If biliary drainage is necessary, PTBD may be preferred to ERBD in AOV cancer.

Proposed new staging system for ampulla of Vater cancer with greater discriminatory ability: multinational study from eastern and western centers

BACKGROUND

We built a multinational retrospective database of patients with ampulla of Vater cancer to develop a reliable new staging system.

METHOD

This study included 841 patients with ampulla of Vater cancer after curative surgery at Seoul National University Hospital (n = 440) and Johns Hopkins University medical institutions (n = 401) between 1985 and 2013.

RESULTS

The 5-year overall survival (OS) rates of patients staged according to the 7^th American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system were 80.3%, 60.9%, 58.1%, 36.6%, 17.9%, and 25.0% for Stages IA (n = 140), IB (n = 194), IIA (n = 115), IIB (n = 348), III (n = 33), and IV (n = 4), respectively. Five-year OS rates were similar in patients with Stage IB (T2N0M0) and IIA (T3N0M0) tumors (P = 0.556), but differed significantly between other pairs of groups. The number of positive lymph nodes (PLN) enhanced prognosis when stratified as 0, 1-2 and ≥3 (P < 0.001). The revised staging system consisted of Stages I (T1, PLN 0), IIA (T2-T3, PLN 0), IIB (T1-T3, PLN 1-2), III (PLN ≥3 or any T4), and IV (any M1), with 5-year OS rates differing significantly in each pair of groups, including Stages I and IIA (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

This new staging system has better discriminatory ability in stratifying 5-year OS rates based on a large multinational database.

A nomogram for predicting the probability of recurrence in patients with carcinomas located in the ampulla of Vater

Background and Objectives: The standard treatment for carcinomas of the ampulla of Vater (CAV) is surgical resection. Nevertheless, recurrence is observed in half of the patients within five years after cancer surgery. In this study, we aimed to identify predictive factors and develop a nomogram capable of predicting the risk of recurrence in post-resection CAV patients.

Methods: Our study cohort was composed of two hundred and twelve patients who had undergone radical surgery for CAV between 2000 and 2012. Clinicopathological variables predictive of recurrence were identified using univariate analysis. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to select the predictive factors used for the nomogram.

Results: The 5-year overall survival, cancer-specific survival and disease-free survival rates were 44.3%, 51.1%, and 42.8%, respectively. The five most predictive variables for tumor recurrence were chosen to develop the nomogram. The nomogram had a highly predictive performance, with a bootstrap-corrected concordance index of 0.72 (95% confidence interval, 0.67-0.79). Furthermore, the performance of the nomogram was found to be better than the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system due to better homogeneity, higher ability of discrimination and higher risk stratification of the model.

Conclusions: We developed a predictive nomogram for estimating tumor relapse probability in CAV patients after radical surgery. This nomogram might be more informative than the AJCC staging system and may allow for better estimation of the probability of relapse after surgical resections.

Undifferentiated carcinoma of the ampulla of Vater

Undifferentiated carcinoma of the ampulla of Vater is a rare disease with unclear and clinical characteristics and prognosis. Here, we report the case of a 61-year-old man with undifferentiated carcinoma of the ampulla of Vater. He presented to our hospital with an increase in hepatobiliary system enzymes that was detected during a health check-up. Imaging and endoscopy demonstrated a tumor with ulcer in the ampulla of Vater, which was diagnosed as a carcinoma by biopsy. No distant metastasis was observed. Subtotal stomach-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy was performed. Undifferentiated carcinoma was confirmed based on the presence of small round atypical cells with the formation of a solid alveolar lesion on histopathological examination and immunohistochemical staining that was positive for CAM 5.2 but negative for chromogranin A and synaptophysin. The tumor infiltrated the duodenum, but not the pancreas; no lymph node metastasis was observed. However, liver metastases were detected 2 months postoperatively. Chemotherapy was performed, and the tumor size temporality decreased; however, it grew in size again, and the patients subsequently died of the primary disease 15 months postoperatively. Undifferentiated carcinoma of the ampulla of Vater is a very rare histological type. More number of cases is necessary to clarify optimal treatment.

Transduodenal Ampullectomy for the Treatment of Early-Stage Ampulla of Vater Cancer

BACKGROUND

Transduodenal ampullectomy (TDA) is a less invasive procedure than pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). However, the outcomes of TDA and PD have been compared rarely in early ampullary cancer.

METHODS

From September 1994 to June 2013, the patients who underwent curative surgery for Tis or T1 ampulla of Vater neoplasm were identified. The patients were divided into two groups according to the types of surgery; TDA group and PD group. The patient characteristics and survival outcomes were retrospectively investigated between the two groups.

RESULTS

Total 137 patients were included in this study. The 18 patients underwent TDA and 119 patients underwent PD for Tis or T1 ampullary cancer. There was no lymph node metastasis in the patients with Tis tumor although 10 of 104 patients had lymph node metastasis in T1 cancer. After a median follow-up of 50 months (range, 6-148), there were no recurrence after TDA for Tis tumor. However, the TDA was associated with higher local recurrence rate than PD in the patients with T1 ampullary cancer on Kaplan-Meier survival analysis (p = 0.007).

CONCLUSION

The TDA is feasible treatment for Tis ampulla of Vater neoplasm. However, TDA is unsuitable for the treatment of T1 ampulla of Vater cancer.

Transduodenal ampullectomy provides a less invasive technique to cure early ampullary cancer

Background

The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficiency of transduodenal ampullectomy (TDA) compared to conventional pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) in patients with early ampullary cancers.

Methods

We carried out a retrospective study by reviewing the medical records of 43 patients with early ampullary cancer who underwent either TDA or PD from January 2001 to December 2014. TDA and PD were performed on 22 patients and 21 patients, respectively. Clinical data, perioperative clinical outcomes and prognosis were evaluated. The median follow-up was 75 (range, 38–143) months.

Results

The sensitivity of intraoperative frozen resection was 100 % (4/4) and 94.9 % (37/39) in patients with pTis and pT1 tumors compared to final histologic diagnoses. The 5-year survival rate of patients with early ampullary cancer was 77.3 % in TDA group and 75.9 % in PD group (P = 0.927). Patients with lymph node metastasis presented a shorter 5-year survival rate (P = 0.014). TDA was associated with lower surgical morbidity (P = 0.033), estimated blood loss (P = 0.002), medical cost (P = 0.028) compared to PD. No pancreatic fistula and surgical mortality occurred in TDA group.

Conclusions

TDA could produce satisfactory clinical efficiency in patients fulfilled the following criteria simultaneously: pTis or pT1 stage, tumor size ≤ 2 cm, without lymph node metastasis. To achieve favorable outcomes, intraoperative frozen section examinations should be reliable and resection margins should be negative.

Poorly cohesive adenocarcinoma of the ampulla of Vater: a case report

A 47-year-old Japanese male was submitted to pancreaticoduodenectomy for an ampullary cancer. Pathologically, the ampullary cancer was poorly cohesive adenocarcinoma without tubular structure. Moreover, locoregional lymph nodes were swollen with hypervascularity, plasmacytes infiltration, and hemorrhage. Our case seems to be different from usual poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma.

Prognostic impact of immunohistochemical expression of CK7 and CK20 in curatively resected ampulla of Vater cancer

BACKGROUND

In the consideration of ampullary adenocarcinoma, T stage, lymph node metastases, perineural invasion, tumor differentiation, pancraticobiliary type, and lymph node ratio are considered prognostic factors. The objectives of this study were to investigate surgical outcomes and the clinicopathological predictors affecting survival and recurrence, and to examine the prognostic roles of histopathological subtype and immunohistochemical markers.

METHODS

From April 2006 to September 2012, 37 patients who underwent curative resection of ampullar of Vater adenocarcinoma were enrolled in this study. A retrospective review was performed based on medical records. Immunohistochemical expression, histopathological type and clinicopathologic factors were analyzed.

RESULTS

The 5-year overall survival rates and disease-free survival rates after surgery were 77.4 and 75.7 %, respectively. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that advanced T stage (p = 0.019) and positive expression of Cytokeratin 7 (CK7) with negative expression of Cytokeratin 20 (CK20) (p = 0.046) were identified as significant independent factors related to survival, and poor differentiation (p = 0.031) significantly influenced disease-free survival in multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

Advanced T stage is a significant prognostic factor affecting survival in ampullary adenocarcinoma. Also, positive expression of CK7 with negative expression of CK20 is an independent factor related to overall survival.

Pancreas-sparing duodenectomy with regional lymph node dissection for early-stage ampullary carcinoma: A case control study using propensity scoring methods

AIM: To investigate the outcomes of pancreas-sparing duodenectomy (PSD) with regional lymph node dissection vs pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD).

METHODS: Between August 2001 and June 2014, 228 patients with early-stage ampullary carcinoma (Amp Ca) underwent surgical treatment (PD, n = 159; PSD with regional lymph node dissection, n = 69). The patients were divided into two groups: the PD group and the PSD group. Propensity scoring methods were used to select patients with similar disease statuses. A total of 138 matched cases, with 69 patients in each group, were included in the final analysis.

RESULTS: The median operative time was shorter among the patients in the PSD group (435 min) compared with those in the PD group (481 min, P = 0.048). The median blood loss in the PSD group was significantly less than that in the PD group. The median length of hospital stay was shorter for patients in the PSD group vs the PD group. The incidence of pancreatic fistula was higher among patients in the PD group vs the PSD group. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival and disease-free survival rates for patients in the PSD group were 83%, 70%, 44% and 73%, 61%, 39%, respectively, and these values were not different than compared with those in the PD group (P = 0.625).

CONCLUSION: PSD with regional lymph node dissection presents an acceptable morbidity in addition to its advantages over PD. PSD may be a safe and feasible alternative to PD in the treatment of early-stage Amp Ca.

Cancer of the ampulla of vater: current evaluation and therapy

Ampullary cancer is a relatively rare cancer of the digestive tract. In contrast to pancreatic cancer, ampullary cancer is often curable if detected at an early stage. The evaluation and management of ampullary cancer is similar to, but distinct from, that of other pancreaticobiliary tumors. This manuscript will review the current evaluation, diagnosis, and therapy of patients with ampullary cancer. The diagnosis of ampullary cancer is complicated by its similar clinical presentation to pancreatic cancer as well as its nonspecific laboratory findings. Diagnostic modalities such as ERCP, EUS, and biopsy are necessary for differentiating the 2 cancers, and noninvasive imaging techniques such as MRI and CT may be used for tumor staging. Although pancreaticoduodenectomy is considered the primary curative surgical option, consensus guidelines regarding adjuvant and neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapies are lacking.

Is local resection adequate for T1 stage ampullary cancer?

BACKGROUND

Concerns for morbidity after a pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) has led to practitioners adopting endoscopic resection or ampullectomy in the treatment of T1 ampullary cancer (AC). It was hypothesized that survival for patients undergoing local resection of AC was inferior to those undergoing a PD.

METHODS

All the data of patients with AC reported in the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database between 2004 and 2010 were collected. Five-year survival rates according to nodal disease and histological type were compared.

RESULTS

There were 1916 cases of AC; 421 (22%) had T1 disease. Among those with T1 disease, 217 (51%) received endoscopic surveillance, 21 (5%) underwent local resection/ampullectomy, 20 (5%) underwent ampullectomy with regional lymphadenectomy and 163 (39%) underwent PD. For patients with complete nodal staging (PD, n = 163), 35 (22%) had metastatic disease in the nodes. Grade was significantly associated with node positivity (P = 0.007). In multivariate models, survival was improved with either an ampullectomy with regional lymphadenectomy [hazard ratio (HR) 0.19; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.05-0.61, P < 0.005] or a PD (HR 0.23; 95% CI 0.15-0.36, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Patients with T1 AC have a high risk for nodal metastases especially if they are higher-grade lesions. Nodal clearance with a lymphadenectomy or a PD is essential for long-term survival in these patients.

Adequacy of lymph node retrieval for ampullary cancer and its association with improved staging and survival

BACKGROUND

The aim of the present study was to determine the optimal number of lymph nodes (LN) examined to stage pN0 tumors after surgery for ampulla of Vater carcinoma (AVC).

METHODS

We reviewed retrospectively 127 patients with AVC who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy (1990-2008). Univariate and multivariate analysis was performed.

RESULTS

Fifty-nine patients (46.5 %) were pN0, whereas 68 patients (53.5 %) were pN1. The 5-year disease-specific survival (DSS) was worse for pN1 patients than for pN0 patients (46 vs. 77 %; P < 0.0001). In the pN0 cohort, the optimal cut-off number of LN analyzed was found to be 12. The 5-year DSS for patients with ≤ 12 LN was 50 %, compared with 89 % in those with >12 LN (P = 0.001). By multivariate analysis, a LN count >12 was the only independent predictor associated with improved survival (HR 0.16, P = 0.003) among pN0 patients. Among pN1 patients, a LN count >12 was associated with a significantly better 5-year DSS (59 vs. 22 %; P = 0.027). Patients with a lymph node ratio (LNR) >0.20 had a 5-year DSS of 24 %, compared with 58 % in those with 0 < LNR ≤ 0.20 (P = 0.038).

CONCLUSIONS

Removal of more than 12 LN for examination is associated with improved survival rate after surgery for AVC in both pN0 and pN1 patients.

Tumors of ampulla of Vater: A case series and review of chemotherapy options

Carcinomas of the Ampulla of Vater are rare tumors, accounting for 0.2% of gastrointestinal cancers. Compared with other biliary tract neoplasms, these tumors have a relatively favorable prognosis after surgical resection. Based on their epithelium of origin, two subtypes of ampullary carcinoma have been recently distinguished: intestinal and pancreatobiliary. This study evaluates histopathological features and outcomes of ampullary carcinoma and to compares the survival of these tumors to that of other biliary tract tumors. The chemotherapic options available for ampullary cancer are also reviewed. We analyzed data from 20 consecutive patients with ampullary carcinomas and 26 patients with other biliary tract carcinomas, observed in our Institution. Statistical analysis was performed by using either Fisher’s exact test or χ² test for categorical variables. Median time of survival was calculated and compared using the Log-Rank test. Similar distribution of demographic characteristics and stage between ampullary and other biliary tract cancers was observed. Patients with ampullary cancer underwent surgery more frequently than other biliary cancers while chemotherapy and radiotherapy were used equally. In accordance with the literature, a longer median survival was observed in the group of ampullary carcinomas.

Surgical outcomes and prognostic factors for ampulla of Vater cancer

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

The prognosis for patients with ampulla of Vater cancer is better than other periampullary cancers. The aim of the present study is to determine the clinicopathologic factors predictive of survival and recurrence in patients with ampulla of Vater cancer.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

From 1991 to 2008, we identified and reviewed 78 patients with ampulla of Vater cancer retrospectively. Clinicopathologic factors possibly influencing survival and recurrence were statistically analyzed.

RESULTS

Pancreaticoduodenectomy was performed in 68 patients and 2 patients underwent transduodenal ampullectomy. Hospital mortality was 2.6%. The 5-year survival rates following resection were 59.9%. Univariate analysis for overall survival revealed that total bilirubin greater than 5 mg/dl, ulcerative tumors, differentiation, and pancreatic invasion were significant prognostic factors. Recurrence occurred in 31 patients. Univariate analysis for disease-free survival revealed that total bilirubin greater than 5mg/dl, preoperative biliary drainage, tumor differentiation, and stage were statistically significant. Multivariate analysis revealed that tumor differentiation was an independent prognostic factor for recurrence. The presence of lymph node metastasis did not affect overall survival significantly in this study. However, two or more metastatic lymph nodes significantly affect disease-free survival.

CONCLUSIONS

Pancreaticoduodenectomy is a safe surgical procedure with acceptable long-term survival for ampulla of Vater cancer. Pancreaticoduodenectomy with lymph node dissection might control lymph node spread and enhance survival outcome.

Adenocarcinoma of the ampulla of Vater: predictors of survival and recurrence after curative radical resection

Backgrounds/Aims

Because of low incidence rates, there have been few reports on the patterns of and risk factors for recurrence after curative resection of the ampulla of Vater (AoV) cancer. The aim of this study was to characterize patterns of recurrence and to evaluate risk factors affecting survival rates and recurrence after curative resection.

Methods

Medical records of 181 patients who had undergone pancreaticoduodenectomy with curative intent for AoV adenocarcinoma between December 1994 and March 2010 at Samsung Medical Center were retrospectively reviewed. Factors influencing on overall survival rate, recurrence rates, and recurrence patterns were analyzed.

Results

Lymph node metastases and high preoperative serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level >5 ng/ml were identified as independent factors affecting overall survival (p=0.006, p<0.001, respectively). Among the 181 patients, 69 developed local or distant recurrence within 3 years after curative resection. Lymph node metastasis, preoperative serum CEA level >5 ng/ml, and total bilirubin level >1.5 mg/dl were identified as independent prognostic factors of recurrence after curative resection (p=0.008, p<0.001, p=0.003, respectively).

Conclusions

AoV adenocarcinoma has a better prognosis than other periampullary carcinomas, but still has a high recurrence rate, especially during the first three years after curative radical resection. Therefore, careful follow-up is needed during the first 3 years, especially for the higher risk group. Further study of adjuvant therapy to decrease recurrence after curative resection is now warranted.

The influence of prognostic factors and adjuvant chemoradiation on survival after pancreaticoduodenectomy for ampullary carcinoma

INTRODUCTION

The prognosis after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) for ampullary carcinoma (AC) is superior to that of pancreatic cancer. Decisions regarding adjuvant therapy are influenced by factors such as nodal status, stage, and grade, but the influence of these individual variables on survival is unclear.

METHODS

A prospective tumor registry database was queried to identify patients who underwent PD for AC at Thomas Jefferson University between Jan 1997 and Apr 2009. The study was conducted with the approval of the institutional review board. Data were collected through review of hospital and departmental charts. Overall survival (OS) was analyzed using univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard models. The proportional hazard assumption was verified for the overall model and individual covariates.

RESULTS

A total of 61 patients underwent PD for AC at our institution. There were five perioperative deaths (8.2%). Mean age was 70 years (62% male). Median survival time (MST) was 50 months for all patients. Only primary tumor stage, T1/T2 versus T3/T4 (American Joint Committee on Cancer Staging, version 6), was associated with OS in univariate analyses (p = 0.003). The association of nodal status with OS was borderline-significant (p = 0.08), with the MST being 84 months for node-negative and 17 months for node-positive patients. The remaining covariates were not predictors of OS. In the multivariate analysis, only primary tumor stage (HR, 5.1; p < 0.001) and age (HR, 1.04; p = 0.06), but not nodal status or adjuvant therapy, were associated with overall survival.

CONCLUSIONS

Advanced primary tumor stage and age were associated with inferior OS after PD for AC. Adjuvant therapy did not impact survival. Patients with advanced tumor stage should be considered for clinical trials of adjuvant therapy after PD with novel compounds and optimized radiation therapy strategies.

Differential features of pancreatobiliary- and intestinal-type ampullary carcinomas at MR imaging

PURPOSE

To define the differential imaging features of pancreatobiliary- and intestinal-type ampullary carcinomas at magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and to correlate these features with pathologic findings.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This retrospective study was approved by the institutional review board; informed consent was waived. Fifty patients with surgically confirmed ampullary carcinoma and preoperative MR results were included. Two radiologists, blinded to histologic type of cancer, evaluated imaging findings in consensus. Univariate and multiple logistic regression analysis were performed to define imaging findings that were useful for differentiation of the two types of carcinomas.

RESULTS

On the basis of hematoxylin-eosin and immunohistochemical staining, 35 patients were classified as having pancreatobiliary type; and 15 patients, intestinal type. At MR, all of 15 intestinal carcinomas were nodular, whereas 16 (46%) of 35 pancreatobiliary carcinomas were infiltrative. Intestinal carcinomas were isointense (13 [87%] of 15) to hyperintense (two [13%] of 15), whereas 34% (12 of 35) of pancreatobiliary carcinomas manifested as hypointense compared with the duodenum on T2-weighted MR images (P = .034). Intestinal carcinoma commonly manifested with an oval filling defect at the distal end of the bile duct on MR cholangiopancreatographic (MRCP) images (11 [73%] of 15 vs four [11%] of 35 in pancreatobiliary type) (P < .001). At endoscopy, intestinal carcinoma manifested with an extramural protruding mass (n = 15, 100%) with a papillary surface (n = 11, 73%), whereas pancreatobiliary carcinoma manifested with intramural protruding (n = 5, 28%) or ulcerating (n = 1, 6%) gross morphologic features (P = .047) with a nonpapillary surface (n = 17, 94%) (P < .001). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that an oval filling defect at the distal end of the bile duct was the only independent finding for differentiating intestinal from pancreatobiliary carcinoma (P = .027).

CONCLUSION

An oval filling defect at the distal end of the bile duct on MRCP images and an extramural protruding appearance with a papillary surface at endoscopy are likely to suggest intestinal ampullary carcinoma.

Ampullary cancer

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

This manuscript reviews the recent literature on ampullary cancer, including new staging definitions, histological characteristics and treatment options.

RECENT FINDINGS

Recent publications emphasize the importance of the histological differentiation (intestinal vs. pancreatobiliary), which is one of the most important prognostic factors for ampullary cancer. These histological subtypes can be differentiated by immunohistochemistry: while positivity for mucin-2 (MUC2) and caudal homeobox gene transcription factor-2 (CDX2) excludes the pancreatobiliary subtype, positivity for MUC1 and cytokeratin-17 (CK17) excludes the intestinal subtype. Also, different mechanisms of cancer development have been described, which might be related to the type of differentiation. Due to the very low risk of lymphatic spread, local resections appear sufficient for well differentiated T1 cancer smaller than 1 cm, whereas larger, less differentiated or more invasive cancer requires a radical resection. As cancer with intestinal differentiation shares a similar biology with colon cancer, and the pancreatobiliary differentiation is close to ductal adenocarcinoma of the pancreas, adjuvant chemotherapy should probably be given according to colon cancer (intestinal) and pancreatic cancer (pancreatobiliary), respectively. However, randomized trials are lacking.

SUMMARY

The recent research suggests that the histological differentiation of periampullary cancer is more important than the anatomical location (ampulla). Future studies are required to take this emerging issue into account.

Tumor relapse after pancreatic cancer resection is detected earlier by 18-FDG PET than by CT

INTRODUCTION

Pancreatic cancer recurrence is often difficult to detect by conventional imaging. Our aim was to evaluate the impact of fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) in the diagnosis of recurrent pancreatic cancer.

METHODS

One-hundred thirty-eight patients were followed after resection for pancreatic cancer. Sixty-six underwent only CT and were excluded. Seventy-two patients also had FDG-PET. Recurrent patients were divided in two groups: group-1, CT positive and group 2, CT non diagnostic, FDG-PET positive. Characteristics and survival curves of the two groups were compared. Significance was set at p < 0.05.

RESULTS

Overall, tumors recurred in 63 of 72 (87.5%) patients; two patients had a second cancer resected, thanks to FDG-PET. Tumor relapse was detected by CT in 35 patients and by FDG-PET in 61. Prognostic factors were similar in groups 1 and 2. Five out of 35 group 1 patients underwent surgery (two R0, two bypass, and one exploratory). Ten out of 28 group 2 patients underwent surgery (four R0, two R2, two bypass, and two exploratory). FDG-PET influenced treatment strategies in 32 of 72 patients (44.4%). Group 2 patients survived longer (P = 0.09), but the difference was not significant. Disease-free survival was similar in groups 1 and 2.

CONCLUSION

Tumor relapse is detected earlier by FDG-PET than by CT. FDG-PET can help select the best candidates for surgical exploration, although the real benefit is still to be defined. It influences treatment strategies in a significant percentage of patients. An earlier diagnosis did not influence survival due to the lack of effective therapies.

Important Prognostic Factors in Adenocarcinoma of the Ampulla of Vater

Ampullary adenocarcinoma (AmpCA) carries a better overall survival (OS) rate than other periampullary cancers. We examined clinicopathologic features in AmpCA for impact on OS. Records of patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy from 2000 to 2007 for AmpCA were reviewed and histological specimens were reanalyzed. Of 302 patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy for malignancy, 45 (14.9%) had AmpCA. Mean age was 61.3 ± 12.2 years, mean tumor size was 2.6 ± 1.3 cm, 57 per cent were ≥ T3 tumors, 42 per cent were N1 stage, 13 (49%) had perineural invasion (PNI), and 29 (64%) had lymphovascular invasion (LVI). Thirteen were intestinal (29%), 14 were pancreaticobiliary (31%), and 18 were mixed (40%). Median OS was 42 months (range 4-80 mos). On log rank testing, ≥ T3 (24 vs 65 mos, P < 0.01), N1 (25 vs 61 mos, P < 0.01), poor differentiation (24 vs 44 mos, P = 0.01), pancreaticobiliary subtype (23 vs 44 mos, P = 0.01), and PNI (23 vs 44 mos, P < 0.01) were significant for worse survival. By multivariate analysis, N1 disease (hazard ratio [HR] 4.50,95% confidence interval [CI] 1.16-17.40) and PNI (HR 4.62, CI 1.11-19.21) maintained associations with worse survival, whereas histological subtype did not. N1 disease and presence of PNI demonstrated independent associations with worse survival. Given high percentage of mixed histology, PNI may be more informative than the subtype in predicting outcome for patients with AmpCA.

Biliary tract cancer treatment: 5,584 results from the Biliary Tract Cancer Statistics Registry from 1998 to 2004 in Japan

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

The results from the Japanese Biliary Tract Cancer Statistics Registry from 1988 to 1998 were reported in 2002. In the present study, we report here selectively summarized data as an overview of the 2006 follow-up survey of the registered cases from 1998 to 2004 for information bearing on problems with the treatment of cancer of the biliary tract.

METHODS

A total of 5,584 patients were registered from 1998 to 2004. The site of cancer was the bile duct in 2,732 patients, the gallbladder in 2,067, and the papilla of Vater in 785. Those cases were analyzed with regard to patient survival according to the extent of tumor invasion (pT), the extent of lymph node metastasis (pN) and the stage.

RESULTS

The five-year survival rate after surgical resection was 33.1% for bile duct cancer, 41.6% for gallbladder cancer, and 52.8% for cancer of the papilla of Vater. For hilar or superior bile duct cancer, the 5-year survival rate was lower with an increase in the pT, pN and f stage, except pT3 vs. pT4, pN1 vs. pN2 and stage III vs. stage IVa. For middle or distal bile duct cancer, the 5-year survival rate was lower with increase in pT, pN and f stage, except pT2 vs. pT3, pN2 vs. pN3, stage II vs. stage III and stage III vs. stage IVa. For gallbladder cancer, the 5-year survival rate was lower with increase in pT, pN and f stage. For cancer of the papilla of Vater, the 5-year survival rate was lower with increase in pT, pN and f stage, except pT1 vs. pT2, pN1 vs. pN2, and stage III vs. stage IVa.

CONCLUSIONS

In the present study, the outcomes of surgical treatment were better than that of the previous report from Japan and foreign countries. The pT, pN and stage of gallbladder cancer are well defined. However, there were no significant differences in some groups of those of bile duct cancer and cancer of the papilla of Vater.

Metastatic adenocarcinoma of parotid gland originating from the ampulla of vater: case report and review of the literature

AIM

To report a rare case of metastasis from an adenocarcinoma of the ampulla of Vater to the parotid gland.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In February 2004, a 61-year-old male underwent Whipple surgery due to a grade II adenocarcinoma of the ampulla of Vater (stage IB:pT2N0M0). Post surgery, the patient did not receive any adjuvant treatment, but was followed up regularly. Two years post surgery, an abdominal computed tomography (CT) revealed metastatic hepatic lesions. The patient subsequently underwent three lines of chemotherapy without significant response. Two months after chemotherapy (April 2007), the patient complained of a painless lump in the parotid region that was progressing fast. Not long after presentation, the mass caused severe local pain that was hardly managed with opioid analgesics. A head and neck CT depicted a 5 x 4 x 3 cm solid mass that was infiltrating the masseter and pterygoid muscles, the mandible, and parotid gland. Fine needle aspiration showed that the infiltrating mass was due to an adenocarcinoma of the ampulla of Vater. The patient subsequently received palliative radiotherapy (50.4 Gy), achieving a considerable therapeutic response.

CONCLUSIONS

Metastasis of adenocarcinoma of the ampulla of Vater to the parotid gland has not to our knowledge been previously reported. Radiotherapy offers an excellent means of palliation with minimal morbidity.

Prognostic relevance of lymph node ratio and number of resected nodes after curative resection of ampulla of Vater carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Nodal metastasis is considered a major prognostic factor in patients with ampulla of Vater carcinoma (AVC). No study has investigated the significance of the ratio between metastatic and resected/examined lymph nodes (LNR) in patients with AVC.

METHODS

Demographic, operative, and pathology data, including number of resected/evaluated nodes and LNR, were collected from patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy with radical intent for invasive AVC from 1990 to 2005. Survival rates and recurrence patterns were evaluated and predictors were identified.

RESULTS

In 90 evaluable patients (51 males, 39 females, median age 62.5 years), 5-year disease-specific survival (DSS) was 61%. The median number of resected/evaluated nodes was 16 (range: 5-47); 50% of the patients had nodal metastases. The 5-year DSS according to LNR was 75%, 49%, 38%, and 0% for LNR = 0, LNR >0 and < or =0.2, LNR >0.2, and < or =0.4, and LNR >0.4 (P = 0.002), respectively. The 5-year DSS was 81% in patients with >16 resected/evaluated nodes compared with 45% in those with < or =16 resected/evaluated nodes (P = 0.001). On multivariate analysis LNR and a number of resected/evaluated nodes >16 were significant predictors of survival; a number of resected/evaluated nodes >16 was also the only independent predictor of recurrence.

CONCLUSIONS

After curative resection for AVC, LNR and a cutoff of 16 resected/evaluated nodes are powerful prognostic factors. LNR might represent a major parameter for patient stratification in adjuvant treatment trials.

Results of pancreaticoduodenectomy in patients with periampullary adenocarcinoma: perineural growth more important prognostic factor than tumor localization

OBJECTIVE

To study the impact of perineural growth as a prognostic factor in periampullary adenocarcinoma (pancreatic head, ampulla of Vater, distal bile duct, and duodenal carcinoma).

SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA

Pancreatic head carcinoma is considered to have the worst prognosis of the periampullary carcinomas. Several other prognostic factors for periampullary tumors have been identified, eg, lymph node status, free resection margins, tumor size and differentiation, and vascular invasion. The impact of perineural growth as a prognostic factor in relation to the site of origin of periampullary carcinomas is unknown.

METHODS

Data of 205 patients with periampullary carcinomas were retrieved from our prospective database. Pancreaticoduodenectomy was performed in 121 patients. Their clinicopathological data were reviewed and analyzed in a multivariate analysis.

RESULTS

Perineural growth was present in 49% of the cases (37 of the 51 patients with pancreatic head carcinoma; 7 of the 30 patients with ampulla of Vater carcinoma; 7 of the 19 with distal bile duct carcinoma; and 8 of the 21 with duodenal carcinoma). Overall 5-year survival was 32.6% with a median survival of 20.7 months. Median survival in tumors with perineural growth was 13.1 months compared with 36.0 months in tumors without perineural growth (P < 0.0001) Using multivariate analysis, the following unfavorable prognostic factors were identified: perineural growth (RR = 2.90, 95% CI 1.62-5.22), nonradical resection (RR = 2.28, 95% CI 1.19-4.36), positive lymph nodes (RR = 1.96, 95% CI 1.11-3.45), and angioinvasion (RR = 1.79, 95% CI 1.05-3.06). Portal or superior mesenteric vein reconstruction and tumor localization were not of statistical significance.

CONCLUSION

Perineural growth is a more important risk factor for survival than the primary site of periampullary carcinomas.

Tumors of the ampulla of vater: histopathologic classification and predictors of survival

BACKGROUND

The histology and clinical behavior of ampullary tumors vary substantially. We speculated that this might reflect the presence of two kinds of ampullary adenocarcinoma: pancreaticobiliary and intestinal.

STUDY DESIGN

We analyzed patient demographics, presentation, survival (mean followup 44 months), and tumor histology for 157 consecutive ampullary tumors resected from 1989 to 2006. Histologic features were reviewed by a pathologist blinded to clinical outcomes. Survival was compared using Kaplan-Meier/Cox proportional hazards analysis.

RESULTS

There were 33 benign (32 adenomas and 1 paraganglioma) and 124 malignant (118 adenocarcinomas and 6 neuroendocrine) tumors. One hundred fifteen (73%) patients underwent a Whipple procedure, 32 (20%) a local resection, and 10 (7%) a palliative operation. For adenocarcinomas, survival in univariate models was affected by jaundice, histologic grade, lymphovascular, or perineural invasion, T stage, nodal metastasis, and pancreaticobiliary subtype (p < 0.05). Size of tumor did not predict survival, nor did cribriform/papillary features, dirty necrosis, apical mucin, or nuclear atypia. In multivariate models, lymphovascular invasion, perineural invasion, stage, and pancreaticobiliary subtype predicted survival (p < 0.05). Patients with pancreaticobiliary ampullary adenocarcinomas presented with jaundice more often than those with the intestinal kind (p = 0.01) and had worse survival.

CONCLUSIONS

In addition to other factors, tumor type (intestinal versus pancreaticobiliary) had a major effect on survival in patients with ampullary adenocarcinoma. The current concept of ampullary adenocarcinoma as a unique entity, distinct from duodenal and pancreatic adenocarcinoma, might be wrong. Intestinal ampullary adenocarcinomas behaved like their duodenal counterparts, but pancreaticobiliary ones were more aggressive and behaved like pancreatic adenocarcinomas.

Signet-ring cell carcinoma of the ampulla of Vater: report of a case

Signet-ring cell carcinoma (SRCC) of the ampulla of Vater is uncommon, and only 13 cases have been previously described. We herein report a rare case of a 43-year-old woman with SRCC in the ampulla of Vater. Although this histologic type of cancer generally predicts a poor prognosis elsewhere in the gastrointestinal tract, the present patient has survived with no evidence of recurrence for 7.5 years. The patient was hospitalized for pruritus and jaundice. She underwent a pancreaticoduodenectomy with an extended lymphadenectomy for ampullary carcinoma. This neoplasm was classified as AcdbBi, 2.0 x 1.8 cm, ulcerative type, Panc(0), Du(2), T(2)N(0)M(-), Stage II according to the Japanese Classification on Cancer of the Biliary Tract. Unfortunately, previous reports of ampullary SRCC have been limited to short-term follow-ups with a median period of only 12 months (range, 6-134 months), and long-term survival (more than 5 years) was only documented in two cases without lymph node metastasis (including the present case). In conclusion, the experience gained in the present and previous cases suggests that long-term survival is possible following a curative resection in selected patients with ampullary SRCC without nodal involvement. Due to the lack of sufficient evidence, additional reports are warranted to determine whether SRCC also portends a poor prognosis in patients with ampullary cancer.