Which Is the Best Surgical Approach for the Pancreatic Cancer? A Classification of Pancreatic Cancer to Guide Operative Decisions Is Needed

Intraoperative pH Is a Reliable Prognostic Factor for Patients With Periampullary Carcinoma Undergoing Pancreaticoduodenectomy

A reliable prognostic factor for periampullary carcinoma is critical to improve surgical outcomes. Intraoperative acidosis reflects the incidence of intraoperative adverse events and impact the prognosis. In this study, 612 patients with periampullary carcinoma who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) were divided into high- and low-pH groups according to the cut-off value of receiver operating characteristic curve (7.34). Through statistical analysis of the difference between the high- and low-pH group, it was found that the low-pH group had worse short-term prognosis than the high pH group, and intraoperative pH was an independent prognostic factor for patients with periampullary carcinoma undergoing PD. In addition, patients who underwent laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy had a more alkaline pH after surgery. This is of great help for early judgment of short-term and even long-term prognosis of patients with pancreatic cancer after surgery, and can even guide clinicians to improve prognosis by early adjustment of pH value.

Prognostic Value of ALP and LDH in Periampullary Carcinoma Patients Undergoing Surgery

OBJECTIVE

Conversion of normal cells to cancer cells is often accompanied by abnormal synthesis of serum enzymes. Both alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) have been reported to have prognostic value in a variety of malignancies. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of preoperative serum ALP and LDH levels on the prognosis of patients with periampullary carcinoma who underwent pancreatoduodenectomy (PD).

METHODS

According to the preoperative ALP or LDH values, 856 cancer patients receiving PD treatment from January 2001 to January 2019 were divided into high-ALP group and low-ALP group or high-LDH group and low-LDH group. Statistical analysis was carried out to study the differences between the high-ALP and low-ALP groups or the high-LDH and low-LDH groups. Furthermore, the possibility of preoperative ALP or LDH as prognostic factor of periampullary carcinoma was investigated.

RESULTS

In both the high-ALP and the high-LDH groups, the prognosis of patients with periampullary carcinoma who underwent PD was worse than that of the low-ALP and low- LDH group. Even through risk factor analysis, it was found that preoperative ALP and LDH could be independent prognostic factor for patients with periampullary carcinoma who underwent PD.

CONCLUSION

Preoperative ALP or LDH is an independent risk factor for periampullary carcinoma.

Development and Validation of a Nomogram to Predict Survival in Pancreatic Head Ductal Adenocarcinoma After Pancreaticoduodenectomy

Background

Pancreatic head ductal adenocarcinoma (PHDAC) patients with the same tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage may share different outcomes after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). Therefore, a novel method to identify patients with poor prognosis after PD is urgently needed. We aimed to develop a nomogram to estimate survival in PHDAC after PD.

Methods

To estimate survival after PD, a nomogram was developed using the Tongji Pancreatic cancer cohort comprising 355 PHDAC patients who underwent PD. The nomogram was validated under the same conditions in another cohort (N = 161) from the National Taiwan University Hospital. Prognostic factors were assessed using LASSO and multivariate Cox regression models. The nomogram was internally validated using bootstrap resampling and then externally validated. Performance was assessed using concordance index (c-index) and calibration curve. Clinical utility was evaluated using decision curve analysis (DCA), X-tile program, and Kaplan-Meier curve in both training and validation cohorts.

Results

Overall, the median follow-up duration was 32.17 months, with 199 deaths (64.82%) in the training cohort. Variables included in the nomogram were age, preoperative CA 19-9 levels, adjuvant chemotherapy, Tongji classification, T stage, N stage, and differentiation degree. Harrell's c-indices in the internal and external validation cohorts were 0.79 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.76-0.82) and 0.83 (95% CI, 0.78-0.87), respectively, which were higher than those in other staging systems. DCA showed better clinical utility.

Conclusion

The nomogram was better than TNM stage and Tongji classification in predicting PHDAC patients' prognosis and may improve prognosis-based selection of patients who would benefit from PD.

Laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy: a retrospective study of 200 cases and the optimization of the single-center learning curve

Background

Laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy (LPD) is widely used in several centers. This study analyzed the postoperative complications rate curve, possible cause, and solution of LPD and open pancreaticoduodenectomy (OPD).

Methods

Between January 2015 and December 2019, the study included 213 and 204 patients undergoing OPD and LPD, respectively. Postoperative outcomes, complications, and complication risk, along with operation time were analyzed, and the learning curve was determined.

Results

The OPD group (378.7±8.98 min) had shorter operation time than the LPD group (402.5±7.12 min) (P=0.037). Blood loss was significantly lower in the LPD group (389.9±19.05 mL) than in the OPD group (530.1±33.55 mL) (P<0.001). The incidence of biliary-enteric anastomosis leakage was higher in the LPD group (2.9%) than in the OPD group (0.5%) (P=0.0495). The LPD group showed lower lung infection (7.4% vs. 17.4%, P=0.037), incision infection (1% vs. 8.5%, P<0.001), and anal exhaust time (3.35±0.07 vs. 4.05±0.07 days, P<0.001) than the OPD group. The biliary-enteric anastomosis leakage was strongly correlated with the pancreatic fistula (B/C) (R=0.6410), intraperitoneal infection (R=0.6126) and Clavien-Dindo Classification ≥3 (R=0.7403). According to the cumulative sum (CUSUM) curve, pancreatic fistula had a negative K value in 44 cases, biliary-enteric anastomosis leakage had a negative K value in 46 cases, and Clavien-Dindo Classification ≥3 had a negative K value in 40 cases. The learning curve for LPD has an inflection point in 86 cases.

Conclusions

LPD is safe and effective for patients with pancreatic cancer, and has a long learning curve and improved postoperative complications in 50 cases. This study’s results will help in reducing the complication rates of the first 50 consecutive cases of LPD.

Comparison of laparoscopic and open pancreaticoduodenectomy for the treatment of nonpancreatic periampullary adenocarcinomas: a propensity score matching analysis

BACKGROUND

Use of laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy (LPD) in place of open pancreaticoduodenectomy (OPD) remains controversial. Our aim was to evaluate the results of LPD versus OPD in non-pancreatic periampullary adenocarcinoma (NPPC), a less aggressive tumor.

METHODS

Here, 488 NPPC patients who underwent LPD or OPD were analyzed in this study. The propensity score matching was used to balance the patients in two groups. Statistical analysis was conducted to investigate the differences between LPD and OPD in patients with NPPC.

RESULTS

The LPD group had shorter operative time, less intraoperative bleeding, and less postoperative hospital stay than OPD group. The 30- and 90-day mortality rates were significantly lower in LPD than in OPD group. There was no statistical difference in long-term survival between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONS

For NPPC, LPD may be the preferred surgical treatment due to its advantages over OPD in terms of intraoperative blood loss and short-term mortality.

International expert consensus on laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy

IMPORTANCE

While laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy (LPD) is being adopted with increasing enthusiasm worldwide, it is still challenging for both technical and anatomical reasons. Currently, there is no consensus on the technical standards for LPD.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this consensus statement is to guide the continued safe progression and adoption of LPD.

EVIDENCE REVIEW

An international panel of experts was selected based on their clinical and scientific expertise in laparoscopic and open pancreaticoduodenectomy. Statements were produced upon reviewing the literature and assessed by the members of the expert panel. The literature search and its critical appraisal were limited to articles published in English during the period from 1994 to 2019. The Web of Science, Medline, and Cochrane Library and Clinical Trials databases were searched, The search strategy included, but was not limited to, the terms 'laparoscopic', 'pancreaticoduodenectomy, 'pancreatoduodenectomy', 'Whipple's operation', and 'minimally invasive surgery'. Reference lists from the included articles were manually checked for any additional studies, which were included when appropriate. Delphi method was used to establish expert consensus and the AGREE II-GRS Instrument was applied to assess the methodological quality and externally validate the final statements. The statements were further discussed during a one-day face-to-face meeting at the 1st Summit on Minimally Invasive Pancreatico-Biliary Surgery in Wuhan, China.

FINDINGS

Twenty-eight international experts from 8 countries constructed the expert panel. Sixteen statements were produced by the members of the expert panel. At least 80% of responders agreed with the majority (80%) of statements. Other than three randomized controlled trials published to date, most evidences were based on level 3 or 4 studies according to the AGREE II-GRS Instrument.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

The Wuhan international expert consensus meeting on LPD has produced a set of clinical practice statements for the safe development and progression of LPD. LPD is currently in its development and exploration stages, as defined by the international IDEAL framework for surgical innovation. More robust randomized controlled trial and registry study are essential to proceed with the assessment of LPD.