Delayed diagnosis and lower resection rate of adenocarcinoma of the distal duodenum

Routine contrast-enhanced CT is insufficient for TNM-staging of duodenal adenocarcinoma

PURPOSE

Adequate TNM-staging is important to determine prognosis and treatment planning of duodenal adenocarcinoma. Although current guidelines advise contrast-enhanced CT (CECT) for staging of duodenal adenocarcinoma, literature about diagnostic tests is sparse.

METHODS

In this retrospective single-center cohort study, we analyzed the real life performance of routine CECT for TNM-staging and the assessment of resectability of duodenal adenocarcinoma. Intraoperative findings and pathological staging served as reference standard for resectability, T-, and N-staging. Biopsies, ¹⁸FDG-PET-CT, and follow-up were used as the reference standard for M-staging.

RESULTS

Fifty-two consecutive patients with duodenal adenocarcinoma were included, 26 patients underwent resection. Half of the tumors were isodense to normal duodenum on CECT. The tumor was initially missed in 7/52 patients (13%) on CECT. The correct T-stage was assigned with CECT in 14/26 patients (54%), N-stage in 11/26 (42%), and the M-stage in 42/52 (81%). T-stage was underestimated in (27%). The sensitivity for detecting lymph node metastases was only 24%, specificity was 78%. Seventeen percent of patients had indeterminate liver or lung lesions on CECT. Surgery with curative intent was started in 32 patients, but six patients (19%) could not be resected due to unexpected local invasion or metastases.

CONCLUSION

Radiologists and clinicians have to be aware that routine CECT is insufficient for staging and determining resectability in patients with duodenal adenocarcinoma. CECT underestimates T-stage and N-stage, and M-stage is often unclear, resulting in futile surgery in 19% of patients. Alternative strategies are required to improve staging of duodenal adenocarcinoma. We propose to combine multiphase hypotonic duodenography CT with MRI.

Comparison of robotic and open pancreaticoduodenectomy for primary nonampullary duodenal adenocarcinoma: a retrospective cohort study

PURPOSE

Robotic surgery has been increasingly applied in pancreatic surgery and showed many advantages over conventional open surgery. The robotic pancreaticoduodenectomy (RPD) is a surgical option for primary nonampullary duodenal adenocarcinoma (PNDA). However, whether RPD is superior to open pancreaticoduodenectomy (OPD) for PNDA has not been reported. The comparative study was designed to analyze the short- and long-term outcomes of RPD versus OPD on patients with PNDA.

METHODS

Demographics, perioperative, and survival outcomes among patients who underwent RPD (n = 49) versus OPD (n = 43) for PNDAs between January 2013 and March 2018 were collected and analyzed RESULTS: Demographic characteristics were comparable between the RPD group and the OPD group. The RPD group demonstrated a decreased estimated blood loss (100 vs. 200 ml, p < 0.001), time to oral intake (4.0 vs. 4.0 days, p = 0.04), and postoperative hospital stay (12.9 vs. 15.0 days, p = 0.01) compared with the OPD group. However, no differences were observed between the two groups in terms of operative time and the rates of major complications, grade B and C POPF, PPH, grade B and C DGE, biliary fistular, reoperation, and 90-day readmission. No patient died within 90 days. There were no significant differences in tumor size, differentiation, TNM stage, number of harvested lymph nodes, and the rates of nerve invasion, lymph node invasion, R0 resection, and the median overall survival between the two groups (p > 0.05) CONCLUSIONS: RPD is a safe, feasible, and effective treatment for PNDA compared with OPD and can be used as an alternative for surgeons in the treatment of PNDA. Further multicenter randomized controlled trials are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of RPD in patients with PNDA.

Survival outcomes after surgical management of sporadic or familial adenomatous polyposis associated duodenal cancer

BACKGROUND

Duodenal cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) patients. In this study, we compare oncologic outcomes between sporadic and FAP-associated duodenal cancer.

METHODS

In this retrospective study, all patients who underwent surgeries between 2000 and 2014 for either sporadic or FAP duodenal cancer were identified. The patients were grouped based on diagnoses and perioperative and survival outcomes were compared.

RESULTS

A total of 56 patients with duodenal cancer (43 sporadic, 13 FAP) who underwent surgery were identified. Pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) was the most common procedure performed. The overall median survival was 7.5 years (1 year: 92%; 5 years: 58.1%). FAP patients had earlier tumor, node, and metastasis stage, less margin involvement, less perineural, and angiolymphatic invasion but had a comparable survival to sporadic patients. The median survival for FAP duodenal cancer was 7.4 vs 9.6 years for sporadic (P = .97) with similar utilization of adjuvant chemotherapy. Although not statistically significant, PD had an improved median survival compared to segmental duodenal resection (SDR) (9.6 years for PD vs 3.6 years for SDR, P = .17). Non-periampullary location and presence of positive lymph nodes were significant predictors of mortality on multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

FAP duodenal cancer has no survival advantage compared to sporadic duodenal cancer despite an improved stage of resection with extraampullary lesions having a worse survival.

Clinical and endoscopic findings to assist the early detection of duodenal adenoma and adenocarcinoma

Background

Sporadic nonampullary duodenal adenocarcinoma is a rare malignant neoplasm in which poor prognosis is often associated with delayed diagnosis.

Objective

A case-control study was designed to evaluate the clinical and endoscopic characteristics of patients with nonampullary duodenal epithelial tumours (NADETs).

Methods

Patients with NADETs were chronologically divided into a discovery and a validation sets. Two age- and sex-matched control individuals for each case in the discovery set were randomly selected from individuals without NADET. A prediction model for the presence of NADET, constructed in the discovery set, was evaluated in the validation set.

Results

In total, 368 adenomas, 81 adenocarcinomas, and 314 controls were analysed. Current smoking, Barrett oesophagus, fundic gland polyps, history of malignant disease, and absence of dyslipidaemia were independently associated with the presence of NADET. The combination of these five factors enabled significant discrimination for NADET in the bulb with a sensitivity of 0.81 in the validation set. We also showed that duodenal adenocarcinomas in the bulb had greater invasive potential than adenocarcinomas in the second portion.

Conclusion

The presence of a duodenal tumour in the bulb could be predicted by clinical and endoscopic findings, which helps improve the prognosis and quality of life of patients.

Adenocarcinoma of the third and fourth portions of the duodenum: The capsule endoscopy value

Primary adenocarcinoma of the small intestine occurs in over 50% of cases in the duodenum. However, its location in the third and fourth duodenal portions occurs rarely and is a diagnostic challenge. The aim of this work is to report an adenocarcinoma of the third and fourth duodenal portions, emphasizing its diagnostic difficulty and the value of video capsule endoscopy. A man, 40 years old, with no medical history, with abdominal discomfort and progressive fatigue, presented four months ago with one episode of moderate melena. The physical examination was normal, except for mucosal pallor. Blood tests were consistent with microcytic, hypochromic iron deficiency anemia with 7.8 g/dL hemoglobin. The upper and lower endoscopy were normal. Additional work-up with video capsule endoscopy showed a polypoid lesion involving the third and fourth portions of the duodenum. Biopsy showed a moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma. Abdominal computed tomography showed a wall thickening from the third duodenal portion to the proximal jejunum, without distant metastasis. The patient underwent segmental resection (distal duodenum and proximal jejunum) with duodenojejunostomy. The surgical specimen histology confirmed the biopsy diagnosis, with transmural infiltration, without nodal involvement. Conclusion: Adenocarcinoma of the third and fourth portions of the duodenum is difficult to diagnose and capsule endoscopy is of great value.

The incidence and prognosis of true duodenal carcinomas

INTRODUCTION

Primary duodenal carcinoma (PDC) is a rare gastrointestinal tumor. The difficult distinction between PDC and other types of carcinoma (e.g. within the periampullary region) is reflected in the scarce literature on true duodenal carcinomas. However, this distinction may be important in relation to the overall prognosis as well as in the choice of adjuvant or palliative treatment strategies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence, management and prognosis of patients with true PDC within a well-defined geographical area.

METHODS

Retrospective analysis of all patients diagnosed with true PDC from 1997 to 2012 within the Region of Southern Denmark. Only patients where the surgeon and the pathologist agreed on the tumor being classified as originating from the duodenum were included.

RESULTS

Seventy-one patients (43 M, 28 F) with a mean age of 67 years (range 35-87) met the criteria for true PDC. The incidence was 5.4 per 1,000,000, and the pathological classification was: Adenocarcinoma 87%, mucinous adenocarcinoma 7%, carcinoma 4% and signet ring cell carcinoma 1%. Intended curative resection was performed in 28 patients (39%) (22 Whipple procedures and 6 local resections), and all but one patient had negative resection margins. Thirteen patients (46%) had lymph node metastasis. Twenty-nine (67%) of the palliative treated patients had a single (n = 24) or double by-pass procedure (n = 5). The median and 5-year survival for the resected patients were 23 months (CI 7-44) and 27% (CI 10-44). The median survival in the palliative group was 5 months (CI 2-11), and none of the patients were alive after three years.

CONCLUSION

The incidence of true PDC within a geographical and histopathologically completely monitored area was 5.4 per 1,000,000. Less than 40% of the patients could be resected and they had a median survival of 23 month and an estimated 5-year survival of 27%. The prognosis of true PDC seemed lower than expected according to previously published data.

Long-term outcomes in patients with duodenal adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

Because of the rarity of duodenal adenocarcinoma, little is known regarding its natural history or prognostic factors for survival. We therefore evaluated surgical treatment, and prognostic factors for survival in patients with duodenal adenocarcinoma.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients who were diagnosed with duodenal adenocarcinoma at Asan Medical Center between December 1999 and December 2009.

RESULTS

Of the 76 patients, 47 (61%) underwent surgery with curative intent and 29 (39%) underwent palliative operation. Of the former, 25 underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD), 19 underwent pylorus-preserving PD, 2 underwent segmental duodenectomy and 1 underwent transduodenal excision. The median survival of the 41 patients who achieved R0 resection was 25.1 months (range 4-134 months), with overall 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates of 80.4%, 63.4% and 60.9%, respectively. Median survival was significantly longer in patients who underwent curative resection than in those who underwent palliative surgery (28.2 versus 6.6 months, P < 0.001). Univariate analysis showed that transfusion and lymph node metastasis were related to survival, and multivariate analysis revealed that lymph node metastasis was independently associated with survival (P = 0.036). Survival differences were observed between stages of the seventh edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system.

CONCLUSION

In the absence of distant metastasis, curative resection enhances the long-term survival of patients with duodenal adenocarcinoma. Lymph node metastasis is prognostic factor of overall survival.

Duodenal adenocarcinoma masked by acute cholecystitis and peptic ulcer disease

We report a case of duodenal adenocarcinoma, who presented to the emergency ward, with features of acute cholecystitis and peptic ulcer disease. Ultrasonography and upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy failed to pick up duodenal pathology, previously two times. Only third time endoscopy showed circumferential thickening of first and second part of the duodenum. On diagnosis laparoscopy mass at the D1/2 junction with apparent involvement of head of pancreas was noted. Pancreatoduodenectomy was performed. Histopathological examination showed it to be primary duodenal adenocarcinoma with extension in to head of pancreas. His postoperative course was uneventful. After 4-month follow-up the patient remained well.

Postoperative morbidity is an additional prognostic factor after potentially curative pancreaticoduodenectomy for primary duodenal adenocarcinoma

PURPOSE

The aims of this paper were to evaluate the clinical features of patients with primary duodenal adenocarcinoma and to address the prognostic relevance of different surgical and pathological variables after potentially curative pancreaticoduodenectomy.

METHODS

Patients with primary duodenal adenocarcinoma observed from 2000 through 2009 were identified from a single-institution electronic database. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify factors associated with survival.

RESULTS

The study population consisted of 37 patients. Of these, 25 underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy, while the remaining 12 were not amenable to resection and underwent bypass operations or were given best supportive care. Overall survival after radical resection (R0) was significantly longer than after palliative surgery (180 versus 35 months, p = 0.013). On multivariate analysis, tumor grade (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.345, 95% CI = 1.28-1.91, p = 0.03) and the occurrence of postoperative or abdominal complications (HR = 1.781, 95% CI = 1.10-2.89, p = 0.037; HR = 1.878, 95% CI = 1.21-3.08, p = 0.029) were found to be significant prognostic factors for survival in patients undergoing potentially curative resection. In particular, median survival was 180 months in patients with an uneventful postoperative course and 52 months in those with abdominal complications. The 5-year overall survival rates were 100 and 60 %, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

According to the present findings, the development of postoperative complications may be an additional prognostic factor after potentially curative pancreaticoduodenectomy for primary duodenal adenocarcinoma. This emphasizes the need for centralization to high-volume centers where an appropriate postoperative care can be delivered.

15-year experience with surgical treatment of duodenal carcinoma: a comparison of periampullary and extra-ampullary duodenal carcinomas

BACKGROUND

The aim of our study was to compare the outcomes of periampullary and extra-ampullary duodenal adenocarcinomas and segmental duodenal resection versus pancreatoduodenectomy and to evaluate prognostic factors.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective review of all adults treated for duodenal adenocarcinoma by operative resection at a large tertiary referral center from 1994 to 2009.

RESULTS

One hundred twenty-four patients had an operation for duodenal adenocarcinoma over a 15-year period (periampullary, n = 25, and extra-ampullary, n = 99). Ninety-nine patients (80%) underwent curative resection, including 24 (96%) with periampullary and 75 (76%) with extra-ampullary carcinomas. The average number of lymph nodes sampled was eight with segmental resection and 12 with pancreatoduodenectomy (p < 0.001). Five-year overall survivals were 37% for the entire cohort (n = 124), 37% in the extra-ampullary group, and 38% in the periampullary group. Tumor size (p = 0.20), positive nodes (p = 0.60), segmental resection versus pancreatoduodenectomy (p = 0.55), adjuvant therapy (p = 0.23), and R(1) versus R(0) resection (p = 0.21) were not associated with survival. In contrast, advanced T stage and pathologic grade were associated with poor survival.

CONCLUSION

Extra-ampullary and periampullary duodenal adenocarcinomas have similar survival after resection. For distal duodenal tumors, survival is improved by curative resection without being compromised by limited resection. The number of lymph nodes sampled was significantly less with segmental resection than pancreatoduodenectomy.

Prognostic factors associated with survival in patients with primary duodenal adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND/AIMS

The prognostic factors in primary duodenal adenocarcinoma remain controversial. This study evaluated the prognostic factors associated with survival in patients with primary duodenal adenocarcinoma.

METHODS

From March 1996 to June 2008, the medical records of 30 patients with a final diagnosis of primary duodenal epithelial malignancy seen at two referral centers were reviewed retrospectively. The prognostic factors for survival were evaluated 6 months and 1, 2, and 5 years after the diagnosis.

RESULTS

The median survival was 5.7 months. The survival rate was 46.7% (14/30), 16.7% (5/30), 10% (3/30), and 6.7% (2/30) at 6 months and 1, 2, and 5 years, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that cancer-directed treatment, including curative surgery or chemotherapy, was a common independent risk factor at all follow-up times. Total bilirubin, cytology, and TNM stage were independent risk factors for survival at 1, 2, and 5 years. The white blood cell count was an independent risk factor at 1 year only. The actuarial probability of survival in patients undergoing cancer-directed treatment was significantly higher than in those without treatment at 6 months (71.4 vs. 25.0%, p < 0.01), 1 year (28.6 vs. 6.3%, p < 0.01), 2 years (21.4 vs. 0%, p < 0.01), and 5 years (14.3 vs. 0%, p < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

The prognostic factors in patients with primary duodenal adenocarcinoma were total bilirubin, TNM stage, cytology, and cancer-directed treatments until the 5-year follow-up. Especially, cancer-directed treatments improved patient survival.

The surgical treatment and outcome for primary duodenal adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

To investigate the early diagnosis and outcomes of surgical treatment of primary duodenal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) for curative purpose.

METHOD

Thirty-two PDAC patients treated surgically between February 1990 and September 2006 were analyzed retrospectively.

RESULTS

All 32 patients underwent laparotomy including 18 (56.3%) pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD), six (18.7%) segmental resection (SR), and eight bypass procedures. And R0 resections were obtained in 22 patients; the other ten procedures were palliative. The total 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates in this study were 78.1% (25/32), 43.8% (14/32), and 18.8% (6/32), respectively; moreover, the 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates in patients with R0 resection were 100.0% (20/20), 70.0% (14/20), and 30.0% (6/20), which were significantly higher than those (41.7% =  /12, 0%, and 0%) in patients with palliative operation (P < 0.05), respectively. Furthermore, the 5-year survival rate was 27.8% (5/18) in pancreaticoduodenectomy patients and 16.7% (1/6) in segmental resection patients, and there was no significant difference between the above two procedures (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

PD is suggested for tumor located at the first and second portion of the duodenum, and SR may be appropriate for the selected patients especially for tumors of the distal duodenum.

The surgical treatment and outcome for primary duodenal adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to investigate the early diagnosis and outcomes of surgical treatment of primary duodenal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) for curative purpose.

METHOD

Thirty-two PDAC patients treated surgically between February 1990 and September 2006 were analyzed retrospectively.

RESULTS

All 32 patients underwent laparotomy, including 18 patients (56.3%) pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD), six patients (18.7%) segmental resection (SR), and eight patients bypass procedures. R0 resections were obtained in 22 patients; the other 10 procedures were palliative. The total 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates in this study were 86.2% (25/29), 48.3% (14/29), and 20.7% (6/29), respectively, moreover, the 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates in patients with R0 resection were 100.0% (19/19), 73.7% (14/19), and 31.6%(6/19), which were significantly higher than those (50.0% = 5/10, 0%, and 0%) in patients with palliative operation (P > 0.05), respectively. Furthermore, the 5-year survival rate was 27.8% (5/18) in pancreaticoduodenectomy patients and 16.7% (1/6) in segmental resection patients, and there was no significant difference between the above two procedures (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

PD is suggested for tumor located at the first and second portion of the duodenum, and SR may be appropriate for the selected patients, especially for tumors of the distal duodenum.

The surgical treatment and outcome for primary duodenal adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

Primary duodenal adenocarcinomas (PDAC) are uncommon tumors characterized by non-specific symptoms and late diagnosis, and treatments of PDAC have some controversies.

METHOD

To investigate the early diagnosis and outcomes of surgical treatment of PDAC, 32 patients who were treated surgically between February 1990 and September 2006 were analyzed retrospectively.

RESULTS

All 32 patients underwent laparotomy, including 18 patients (56.3%) with pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD), six patients (18.7%) with segmental resection (SR), and eight patients with bypass procedures. And, R0 resections were obtained in 22 patients; the other ten procedures were palliative. The total 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates in this study were 86.2% (25 of 29), 48.3% (14 of 29), and 20.7% (six of 29), respectively. Moreover, the 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates in patients with R0 resection were 100.0% (19 of 19), 73.7% (14 of 19), and 31.6% (six of 19), which were significantly higher than those (50.0% = 5/10, 0% and 0%) in patients with palliative operation (P < 0.05), respectively. Furthermore, the 5-year survival rate was 27.8% (five of 18) in pancreaticoduodenectomy patients and 16.7% (one of six) in segmental resection patients, and there was no significant difference between the above two procedures (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

PD is suggested for the tumor located at the first and second portion of the duodenum, and SR may be appropriate for the selected patients, especially for tumors of the distal duodenum.

Primary Duodenal Adenocarcinoma

Aims and Background

Primary duodenal adenocarcinoma is a rare tumor with a poorly defined natural history and prognostic factors. It presents with nonspecific symptoms, and for this reason the diagnosis is often delayed. It is a serious problem for the surgeon because of the difficulty in obtaining an early diagnosis and standardizing basic tenets for an appropriate surgical approach. The aim of this work was to conduct a review of the literature analyzing the points most frequently debated about this pathology.

Methods and Study Design

A bibliographic search was carried out on the main search engines to find studies regarding duodenal adenocarcinoma, published in English, from January 1992 to January 2007.

Results

A total of 19 articles was selected. Results concerning symptoms, location of the tumor, diagnostic examinations, surgical treatment, histopathology of the tumor, survival and follow-up were obtained and discussed.

Conclusions

All patients who are medically fit to undergo surgery should be given the option of aggressive resection regardless of tumor size, tumor invasion or appearance of positive lymph nodes. Hopefully, an early diagnosis will correlate with improved long-term survival.

Surgical management and outcome in primary adenocarcinoma of the small bowel

BACKGROUND

Primary adenocarcinoma of the small bowel is a rare malignancy and is associated with poor survival outcome. Patient, tumor and treatment-related factors were analyzed for their association with recurrence and survival.

METHODS

Between 1971 and 2005, 64 patients with primary adenocarcinoma of the small bowel were treated at our institution. Clinico-pathologic data, operative details, postoperative treatment, recurrence pattern and survival were reviewed.

RESULTS

The most common clinical features at presentation included abdominal pain (n = 33; 51.6%) or bowel obstruction (n = 20; 31.3%). The most frequently involved portion of the small bowel was the duodenum (n = 41; 64%). A segmental bowel resection was performed in 30 patients and pancreaticoduodenectomy in 14 patients. Postoperative mortality and morbidity rates were 3.6% (n = 2) and 14.5% (n = 8), respectively. Of the 55 patients who underwent operative intervention, a curative resection was performed in 30 (54.5%). The most common sites of recurrence following a curative resection were the liver and lung. Median survival for all 64 patients was 18 months with a 5-year survival of 21.1%. On multivariate analysis, absence of distant metastatic disease (5-year survival 30.4%), curative resection (5-year survival 44.8%) and pathological T stage 1-3 (5-year survival 39.2%) were identified as independent predictors of survival.

CONCLUSIONS

A curative resection in the absence of both distant metastases and pathological T4 tumor provides the best survival outcome. Recurrence at distant sites is the predominant pattern of failure following a curative resection, suggesting a role for adjuvant therapy.

Experience in diagnosis and treatment for 8 cases of primary duodenal tumor

AIM: To evaluate the preoperative diagnostic and surgical procedures for primary tumor of the duodenum (PTD).

METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on 8 PTD patients admitted in our hospital from October 2001 to December 2004. B-ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), duodenal endoscopy and air barium double radiography were used in the diagnosis of PTD located in the descending portion (2 cases), papilla region (3 cases) and inferior part (3 cases) of the duodenum.

RESULTS: For papilla region of the duodenum, 1 case of tubular adenoma and 1 leiomyoma were treated with the local resection of tumor, and 1 case of well/moderately-differentiated carcinoma underwent the pancreatoduodenectomy. For the descending portion of the duodenum, 1 case of moderately-differentiated and 1 poorly-differentiated carcinoma received pancreatoduodenectomy. For inferior part of the duodenum, 2 cases of leiomyoma were given the local segmental resection of the duodenum, and 1 case of moderately-differentiated carcinoma underwent pancreatoduodenectomy. All the patients got smooth recovery from the operation, and no complications occurred. All the patients survived healthily, with the follow-up period of 29.7 ± 19.7 mo (3 to 51 mo).

CONCLUSION: For the PTD located in the papilla region and descending portion, CT and duodenal endoscopy are main methods for the preoperative diagnosis, and local resection are ideal surgical procedures. For the benign PTD in the inferior part, air barium double radiography is the first choice for the diagnosis, and segmental duodenectomy are curable. For the malignant PTD in the papilla region, descending portion and inferior part, the therapeutic choice should be pancreatoduodenectomy.