The surgeon's expertise-outcome relationship in gastric cancer surgery

Keratinocyte cancer with incidental perineural invasion: A registry analysis of management and 5-year outcomes

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

Perineural invasion within keratinocyte cancer is a hallmark of tumour aggression, and a definitive treatment paradigm for this condition remains undetermined. Our aim was to investigate the treatment and outcomes of keratinocyte cancer with incidental perineural invasion within two skin cancer databases to refine treatment protocols.

METHODS

We retrospectively assessed the Queensland Perineural Invasion Registry for surgery, histopathology, adjuvant radiotherapy and recurrence of keratinocyte cancer five years post-definitive treatment. We also reviewed the Princess Alexandra Hospital Head and Neck clinical perineural invasion database, specifically looking at surgical margins and adjuvant radiotherapy of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) with incidental perineural invasion in the primary lesion.

RESULTS

There was no recurrence at 5 years in the Perineural Invasion Registry. Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) lesions with nerves <0.1 mm were more commonly treated with surgery alone, compared to lesions with nerves ≥0.1 mm which were offered adjuvant radiotherapy. Of the total BCC lesions with incidental perineural invasion, those with perineural margins ≥5 mm and peripheral tumour margins ≥3 mm were predominantly treated with surgery alone. Eighty-nine per cent of cSCC lesions with incidental perineural invasion were treated with surgery and adjuvant radiotherapy.

CONCLUSION

Surgery alone is suitable for BCC lesions with incidental perineural invasion. The majority of BCC lesions achieved ≥5 mm perineural and ≥3 mm peripheral tumour margins. Future research can guide if adjuvant radiation is required for BCC with perineural invasion. The treatment of cSCC with incidental perineural invasion with surgery alone remains undetermined.

Operation time as a simple indicator to predict the overcoming of the learning curve in gastric cancer surgery: a multicenter cohort study

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study is to identify an indicator to predict the overcoming of the learning curve of distal gastrectomy in gastric cancer surgery.

METHOD

A retrospective multicenter cohort study was conducted in 2100 patients who underwent radical distal gastrectomy performed by nine surgeons in eight hospitals between 2001 and 2006. For each surgeon, an individual CUSUM chart was formulated in terms of operation time or clinical outcomes, including severe complications, number of retrieved lymph nodes, positive resection margin, and hospital stay. The actual changing points (CPs) of the CUSUM charts were analyzed. Based on the CP, patients were divided into pre-CP and post-CP groups, and the clinicopathologic outcomes and survival data were compared between the groups.

RESULTS

CP determined by operation time was more reliable than CP determined by a combination of clinical outcomes, as the former was correlated not only with short-term outcomes but also with survival. The outcomes were superior in the post-CP group in terms of numbers of harvested lymph nodes, sufficient lymph node harvesting (> 15), and negative proximal margins. In a survival analysis, the post-CP group showed better survival than the pre-CP group in stage II (76% vs 86.1% p = 0.010) and stage III (51.5% vs 60.6% p = 0.042).

CONCLUSION

Overcoming the learning curve of distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer can be better predicted by operation time rather than by a combination of postoperative clinical parameters. It is recommended that surgeons initially operate on early stage cancer patients before overcoming the learning curve.

Are treatment outcomes in gastric cancer associated with either hospital volume or surgeon volume?

Surgical resection is the only curative treatment for gastric cancer. Postoperative outcomes may be affected by the average or total number of surgeries carried out at an institution (hospital volume) or by a surgeon (surgeon volume). Among seven large‐scale studies that each enrolled over 10 000 patients who underwent gastrectomy, six showed that higher hospital volume contributed to a lower mortality rate after gastrectomy. Surgeon volume was also reported by three of four studies that each included over 1000 patients to be a significant factor contributing to heterogeneity in mortality rates after gastrectomy. In contrast, most studies showed no relationship between hospital volume and postoperative morbidity. A significant long‐term relationship was demonstrated in four of nine studies that each included more than 1000 patients, but the other five studies showed negative results. A recent correlative study of randomized phase III trials for gastric cancer surgeries showed a significant relationship between hospital volume and postoperative morbidity in one trial but not in another trial. There was no correlation between overall survival and either hospital or surgeon volume. In addition, another correlative study of a phase III trial of randomized chemotherapy for unresectable or recurrent gastric cancer found that there was no correlation between hospital volume and overall survival, although there was a large degree of heterogeneity in median overall survival among participating institutions.

The positive impact of surgeon specialization on survival for gastric cancer patients after surgery with curative intent

BACKGROUND

Many studies have affirmed the survival benefit for cancer patients treated by specialized surgeons.

METHODS

A total of 967 patients with gastric cancer (GC) who underwent gastrectomy with curative intent in our center were enrolled. Patients were categorized into two groups based on surgeon specialization: the specialized group (SG) and nonspecialized group (NSG). To overcome bias due to the different distribution of covariates for the two groups, a one-to-one match was applied using propensity score analysis. After matching, prognosis and recurrence data were analyzed.

RESULTS

After one-to-one matching, 261 patients in the SG and 261 patients in the NSG had the same characteristics excluding factors associated with surgery. In multivariate analysis for the whole study series, surgeon specialization was an independent prognostic factor for GC patients after surgery. Patients in the SG demonstrated a significantly higher 5-year overall survival than those in the NSG (50.7 vs. 37.2 %, p = 0.001). With the strata analysis, significant prognostic differences between the two groups were only observed in patients at stage IIIa-b or N1-2. The proportion of locoregional recurrence was greater in the NSG than in the SG.

CONCLUSION

GC patients treated by specialized surgeons tended to have a better prognosis and lower locoregional recurrence rate. Surgeon specialization was an independent prognostic factor for GC patients after surgery. GC should be treated by specialized surgeons in large-volume centers.

Robot-assisted gastrectomy with lymph node dissection for gastric cancer: lessons learned from an initial 100 consecutive procedures

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the technical feasibility, effectiveness, and safety of robot-assisted gastrectomy (RAG) with lymphadenectomy, using the da Vinci system through analyses of our initial series of 100 consecutive patients.

SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA

The application of robotic surgery was proven to be one of the best cutting-edge technologies for successful minimally invasive surgery by providing solutions to the many drawbacks of laparoscopic surgery, yet few reports have studied robotic surgery in gastric cancer.

METHODS

A review of a prospectively designed database at our institute from July 2005 to October 2007 revealed a series of 100 consecutive RAG patients with a preoperative diagnosis of early gastric cancer. Clinicopathologic characteristics and surgical outcomes were analyzed.

RESULTS

All operations were performed successfully without open or laparoscopic conversion. There were 33 total gastrectomies and 67 subtotal gastrectomies with D1+beta or extended lymphadenectomy (D2). The mean total operation time and console time were 231 and 150 minutes, respectively. There were 13 postoperative morbidities and 1 postoperative mortality. The first flatus was noted on postoperative day 2.9, soft diet was started on postoperative day 4.2, and the mean postoperative hospital stay was 7.8 days. Although all patients were diagnosed as early gastric cancer preoperatively, the final pathology report revealed that 19 patients exhibited a depth deeper than T2. The mean number of retrieved lymph nodes was 36.7 (range, 11-83). None of the specimens showed microscopic tumor involvement in the resection line.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated that RAG with lymphadenectomy can be applied safely and effectively for patients with gastric cancer.