Adjuvant chemotherapy for adenocarcinoma arising from intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasia: multicentre ADENO-IPMN study

BACKGROUND

The clinical impact of adjuvant chemotherapy after resection for adenocarcinoma arising from intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasia is unclear. The aim of this study was to identify factors related to receipt of adjuvant chemotherapy and its impact on recurrence and survival.

METHODS

This was a multicentre retrospective study of patients undergoing pancreatic resection for adenocarcinoma arising from intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasia between January 2010 and December 2020 at 18 centres. Recurrence and survival outcomes for patients who did and did not receive adjuvant chemotherapy were compared using propensity score matching.

RESULTS

Of 459 patients who underwent pancreatic resection, 275 (59.9%) received adjuvant chemotherapy (gemcitabine 51.3%, gemcitabine-capecitabine 21.8%, FOLFIRINOX 8.0%, other 18.9%). Median follow-up was 78 months. The overall recurrence rate was 45.5% and the median time to recurrence was 33 months. In univariable analysis in the matched cohort, adjuvant chemotherapy was not associated with reduced overall (P = 0.713), locoregional (P = 0.283) or systemic (P = 0.592) recurrence, disease-free survival (P = 0.284) or overall survival (P = 0.455). Adjuvant chemotherapy was not associated with reduced site-specific recurrence. In multivariable analysis, there was no association between adjuvant chemotherapy and overall recurrence (HR 0.89, 95% c.i. 0.57 to 1.40), disease-free survival (HR 0.86, 0.59 to 1.30) or overall survival (HR 0.77, 0.50 to 1.20). Adjuvant chemotherapy was not associated with reduced recurrence in any high-risk subgroup (for example, lymph node-positive, higher AJCC stage, poor differentiation). No particular chemotherapy regimen resulted in superior outcomes.

CONCLUSION

Chemotherapy following resection of adenocarcinoma arising from intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasia does not appear to influence recurrence rates, recurrence patterns or survival.

Long-term Outcomes following Resection of Adenocarcinoma Arising from Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasm (A-IPMN) versus Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC): A Propensity-score Matched Analysis

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the present study was to compare long-term post-resection oncological outcomes between A-IPMN and PDAC.

SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA

Knowledge of long term oncological outcomes (e.g recurrence and survival data) comparing between adenocarcinoma arising from intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (A-IPMN) and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is scarce.

METHODS

Patients undergoing pancreatic resection (2010-2020) for A-IPMN were identified retrospectively from 18 academic pancreatic centres and compared with PDAC patients from the same time-period. Propensity-score matching (PSM) was performed and survival and recurrence were compared between A-IPMN and PDAC.

RESULTS

459 A-IPMN patients (median age,70; M:F,250:209) were compared with 476 PDAC patients (median age,69; M:F,262:214). A-IPMN patients had lower T-stage, lymphovascular invasion (51.4%vs. 75.6%), perineural invasion (55.8%vs. 71.2%), lymph node positivity (47.3vs. 72.3%) and R1 resection (38.6%vs. 56.3%) compared to PDAC(P<0.001). The median survival and time-to-recurrence for A-IPMN versus PDAC were 39.0 versus19.5months (P<0.001) and 33.1 versus 14.8months (P<0.001), respectively (median follow-up,78 vs.73 months). Ten-year overall survival for A-IPMN was 34.6%(27/78) and PDAC was 9%(6/67). A-IPMN had higher rates of peritoneal (23.0 vs. 9.1%, P<0.001) and lung recurrence (27.8% vs. 15.6%, P<0.001) but lower rates of locoregional recurrence (39.7% vs. 57.8%; P<0.001). Matched analysis demonstrated inferior overall survival (P=0.005), inferior disease-free survival (P=0.003) and higher locoregional recurrence (P<0.001) in PDAC compared to A-IPMN but no significant difference in systemic recurrence rates (P=0.695).

CONCLUSIONS

PDACs have inferior survival and higher recurrence rates compared to A-IPMN in matched cohorts. Locoregional recurrence is higher in PDAC but systemic recurrence rates are comparable and constituted by their own distinctive site-specific recurrence patterns.

Pancreatic surgery outcomes: multicentre prospective snapshot study in 67 countries

BACKGROUND

Pancreatic surgery remains associated with high morbidity rates. Although postoperative mortality appears to have improved with specialization, the outcomes reported in the literature reflect the activity of highly specialized centres. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes following pancreatic surgery worldwide.

METHODS

This was an international, prospective, multicentre, cross-sectional snapshot study of consecutive patients undergoing pancreatic operations worldwide in a 3-month interval in 2021. The primary outcome was postoperative mortality within 90 days of surgery. Multivariable logistic regression was used to explore relationships with Human Development Index (HDI) and other parameters.

RESULTS

A total of 4223 patients from 67 countries were analysed. A complication of any severity was detected in 68.7 per cent of patients (2901 of 4223). Major complication rates (Clavien-Dindo grade at least IIIa) were 24, 18, and 27 per cent, and mortality rates were 10, 5, and 5 per cent in low-to-middle-, high-, and very high-HDI countries respectively. The 90-day postoperative mortality rate was 5.4 per cent (229 of 4223) overall, but was significantly higher in the low-to-middle-HDI group (adjusted OR 2.88, 95 per cent c.i. 1.80 to 4.48). The overall failure-to-rescue rate was 21 per cent; however, it was 41 per cent in low-to-middle- compared with 19 per cent in very high-HDI countries.

CONCLUSION

Excess mortality in low-to-middle-HDI countries could be attributable to failure to rescue of patients from severe complications. The authors call for a collaborative response from international and regional associations of pancreatic surgeons to address management related to death from postoperative complications to tackle the global disparities in the outcomes of pancreatic surgery (NCT04652271; ISRCTN95140761).

Risk of Recurrence after Surgical Resection for Adenocarcinoma Arising from Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasia (IPMN) with Patterns of Distribution and Treatment: An International, Multicentre, Observational Study

OBJECTIVE

This international multicentre cohort study aims to identify recurrence patterns and treatment of first and second recurrence in a large cohort of patients after pancreatic resection for adenocarcinoma arising from IPMN.

SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA

Recurrence patterns and treatment of recurrence post resection of adenocarcinoma arising from IPMN are poorly explored.

METHOD

Patients undergoing pancreatic resection for adenocarcinoma from IPMN between January 2010 to December 2020 at 18 pancreatic centres were identified. Survival analysis was performed by the Kaplan-Meier log rank test and multivariable logistic regression by Cox-Proportional Hazards modelling. Endpoints were recurrence (time-to, location, and pattern of recurrence) and survival (overall survival and adjusted for treatment provided).

RESULTS

Four hundred and fifty-nine patients were included (median, 70 y; IQR, 64-76; male, 54 percent) with a median follow-up of 26.3 months (IQR, 13.0-48.1 mo). Recurrence occurred in 209 patients (45.5 percent; median time to recurrence, 32.8 months, early recurrence [within 1 y], 23.2 percent). Eighty-three (18.1 percent) patients experienced a local regional recurrence and 164 (35.7 percent) patients experienced distant recurrence. Adjuvant chemotherapy was not associated with reduction in recurrence (HR 1.09;P=0.669) One hundred and twenty patients with recurrence received further treatment. The median survival with and without additional treatment was 27.0 and 14.6 months (P<0.001), with no significant difference between treatment modalities. There was no significant difference in survival between location of recurrence (P=0.401).

CONCLUSION

Recurrence after pancreatic resection for adenocarcinoma arising from IPMN is frequent with a quarter of patients recurring within 12 months. Treatment of recurrence is associated with improved overall survival and should be considered.

PANC Study (Pancreatitis: A National Cohort Study): national cohort study examining the first 30 days from presentation of acute pancreatitis in the UK

BACKGROUND

Acute pancreatitis is a common, yet complex, emergency surgical presentation. Multiple guidelines exist and management can vary significantly. The aim of this first UK, multicentre, prospective cohort study was to assess the variation in management of acute pancreatitis to guide resource planning and optimize treatment.

METHODS

All patients aged greater than or equal to 18 years presenting with acute pancreatitis, as per the Atlanta criteria, from March to April 2021 were eligible for inclusion and followed up for 30 days. Anonymized data were uploaded to a secure electronic database in line with local governance approvals.

RESULTS

A total of 113 hospitals contributed data on 2580 patients, with an equal sex distribution and a mean age of 57 years. The aetiology was gallstones in 50.6 per cent, with idiopathic the next most common (22.4 per cent). In addition to the 7.6 per cent with a diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis, 20.1 per cent of patients had a previous episode of acute pancreatitis. One in 20 patients were classed as having severe pancreatitis, as per the Atlanta criteria. The overall mortality rate was 2.3 per cent at 30 days, but rose to one in three in the severe group. Predictors of death included male sex, increased age, and frailty; previous acute pancreatitis and gallstones as aetiologies were protective. Smoking status and body mass index did not affect death.

CONCLUSION

Most patients presenting with acute pancreatitis have a mild, self-limiting disease. Rates of patients with idiopathic pancreatitis are high. Recurrent attacks of pancreatitis are common, but are likely to have reduced risk of death on subsequent admissions.

Can nebulised HepArin Reduce morTality and time to Extubation in Patients with COVID-19 Requiring invasive ventilation Meta-Trial (CHARTER-MT): Protocol and Statistical Analysis Plan for an investigator-initiated international meta-trial of prospective randomised clinical studies

There is significant interest in the potential for nebulised unfractionated heparin (UFH) as a novel therapy for patients with COVID-19 induced acute hypoxaemic respiratory failure requiring invasive ventilation. The scientific and biological rationale for nebulised heparin stems from the evidence for extensive activation of coagulation resulting in pulmonary microvascular thrombosis in COVID-19 pneumonia. Nebulised delivery of heparin to the lung may limit alveolar fibrin deposition and thereby limit progression of lung injury. Importantly, laboratory studies show that heparin can directly inactivate the SARS-CoV-2 virus, thereby prevent its entry into and infection of mammalian cells. UFH has additional anti-inflammatory and mucolytic properties that may be useful in this context. METHODS AND INTERVENTION: The Can nebulised HepArin Reduce morTality and time to Extubation in Patients with COVID-19 Requiring invasive ventilation Meta-Trial (CHARTER-MT) is a collaborative prospective individual patient data analysis of on-going randomised controlled clinical trials across several countries in 5 continents, examining the effects of inhaled heparin in patients with COVID-19 requiring invasive ventilation on various endpoints. Each constituent study will randomise patients with COVID-19 induced respiratory failure requiring invasive ventilation. Patients are randomised to receive nebulised heparin or standard care (open label studies) or placebo (blinded placebo-controlled studies) while under invasive ventilation. Each participating study collect a pre-defined minimum dataset. The primary outcome for the meta-trial is the number of ventilator-free days up to day 28 day, defined as days alive and free from invasive ventilation. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The meta-trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov ID NCT04545541. Each contributing study is individually registered and has received approval of the relevant ethics committee or institutional review board. Results of this study will be shared with the WHO, published in scientific journals, and presented at scientific meetings.

Inhaled nebulised unfractionated heparin for the treatment of hospitalised patients with COVID-19: A multicentre case series of 98 patients

OBJECTIVE

To determine the safety and efficacy-potential of inhaled nebulised unfractionated heparin (UFH) in the treatment of hospitalised patients with COVID-19.

METHODS

Retrospective, uncontrolled multicentre single-arm case series of hospitalised patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19, treated with inhaled nebulised UFH (5000IU 8-hourly, 10000IU 4-hourly, or 25000IU 6-hourly) for 6±3 (mean±SD) days. Outcomes were APTT before treatment (baseline) and highest-level during treatment (peak), and adverse events including bleeding. Exploratory efficacy outcomes were oxygenation, assessed by SpO2 to FiO2 (S/F) ratio and FiO2, and the WHO modified ordinal clinical scale (MOCS).

RESULTS

98 patients were included. In patients on stable prophylactic or therapeutic systemic anticoagulant therapy but not receiving therapeutic UFH infusion, APTT levels increased from baseline of 34±10 seconds to a peak of 38±11 seconds (p<0.0001). In 3 patients on therapeutic UFH infusion, APTT levels did not significantly increase from baseline of 72±20 to a peak of 84±28 seconds (p=0.17). Two patients had serious adverse events: bleeding gastric ulcer requiring transfusion; thigh haematoma; both were on therapeutic anticoagulation. Minor bleeding occurred in 16 patients, 13 of which were on therapeutic anticoagulation. The S/F ratio and the FiO2 worsened before and improved after commencement of inhaled UFH (change in slope, p<0.001).

CONCLUSION

Inhaled nebulised UFH in hospitalised patients with COVID-19 was safe. Although statistically significant, inhaled nebulised UFH did not produce a clinically relevant increase in APTT (peak values in the normal range). Urgent randomised evaluation of nebulised UFH in patients with COVID-19 is warranted and several studies are currently underway.

Nebulised heparin as a treatment for COVID-19: scientific rationale and a call for randomised evidence

Nebulised unfractionated heparin (UFH) has a strong scientific and biological rationale and warrants urgent investigation of its therapeutic potential, for COVID-19-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). COVID-19 ARDS displays the typical features of diffuse alveolar damage with extensive pulmonary coagulation activation resulting in fibrin deposition in the microvasculature and formation of hyaline membranes in the air sacs. Patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 who manifest severe disease have high levels of inflammatory cytokines in plasma and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and significant coagulopathy. There is a strong association between the extent of the coagulopathy and poor clinical outcomes.The anti-coagulant actions of nebulised UFH limit fibrin deposition and microvascular thrombosis. Trials in patients with acute lung injury and related conditions found inhaled UFH reduced pulmonary dead space, coagulation activation, microvascular thrombosis and clinical deterioration, resulting in increased time free of ventilatory support. In addition, UFH has anti-inflammatory, mucolytic and anti-viral properties and, specifically, has been shown to inactivate the SARS-CoV-2 virus and prevent its entry into mammalian cells, thereby inhibiting pulmonary infection by SARS-CoV-2. Furthermore, clinical studies have shown that inhaled UFH safely improves outcomes in other inflammatory respiratory diseases and also acts as an effective mucolytic in sputum-producing respiratory patients. UFH is widely available and inexpensive, which may make this treatment also accessible for low- and middle-income countries.These potentially important therapeutic properties of nebulised UFH underline the need for expedited large-scale clinical trials to test its potential to reduce mortality in COVID-19 patients.

Fibroblasts from Distinct Pancreatic Pathologies Exhibit Disease-Specific Properties

Although fibrotic stroma forms an integral component of pancreatic diseases, whether fibroblasts programmed by different types of pancreatic diseases are phenotypically distinct remains unknown. Here, we show that fibroblasts isolated from patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), chronic pancreatitis (CP), periampullary tumors, and adjacent normal (NA) tissue (N = 34) have distinct mRNA and miRNA profiles. Compared with NA fibroblasts, PDAC-associated fibroblasts were generally less sensitive to an antifibrotic stimulus (NPPB) and more responsive to positive regulators of activation such as TGFβ1 and WNT. Of the disease-associated fibroblasts examined, PDAC- and CP-derived fibroblasts shared greatest similarity, yet PDAC-associated fibroblasts expressed higher levels of tenascin C (TNC), a finding attributable to miR-137, a novel regulator of TNC. TNC protein and transcript levels were higher in PDAC tissue versus CP tissue and were associated with greater levels of stromal activation, and conditioned media from TNC-depleted PDAC-associated fibroblasts modestly increased both PDAC cell proliferation and PDAC cell migration, indicating that stromal TNC may have inhibitory effects on PDAC cells. Finally, circulating TNC levels were higher in patients with PDAC compared with CP. Our characterization of pancreatic fibroblast programming as disease-specific has consequences for therapeutic targeting and for the manner in which fibroblasts are used in research. SIGNIFICANCE: Primary fibroblasts derived from various types of pancreatic diseases possess and retain distinct molecular and functional characteristics in culture, providing a series of cellular models for treatment development and disease-specific research.

Precision medicine for acute pancreatitis: current status and future opportunities

Acute pancreatitis is a common inflammatory condition affecting the pancreas, predominantly caused by gallstones, alcohol excess, and hypertriglyceridaemia, with severe disease carrying up to 50% mortality. Despite significant research and preclinical promise, no targeted drug treatments exist for the disease and precision medicine approaches are lacking significantly, when compared to other health conditions. Advances in omics applications will facilitate improved preclinical models and target identification as well as biomarker discovery for refined trial design, focusing on risk stratification, subject selection, and outcome determination. Randomised treatment of Acute Pancreatitis with Infliximab: Double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-centre trial (RAPID-I) is a pioneering trial, currently under way in acute pancreatitis, which may serve as an innovative model for the implementation of precision medicine strategies for acute pancreatitis in the future.

Routine preoperative blood group and save testing is Unnecessary for elective laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

BACKGROUND

Although the practice of preoperative testing of ABO group and Rh (D) type for elective cholecystectomy has deep historical roots, it is not evidence-based. We aimed to assess the preoperative blood group and save testing practice for a cohort of patients subjected to elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy for symptomatic cholecystolithiasis between January 2010 and October 2014.

METHODS

National Health Service (NHS) hospital based, surgical procedure-specific, retrospective study was conducted. A final group consisted of 2,079 adult patients. We estimated the incidence of perioperative blood transfusion attributable to laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The results of eight other studies are presented.

RESULTS

A preoperative blood group and save test was performed in 907 patients (43.6%), whereas cross-matching was documented in 28 patients (3.1%). None required an intraoperative blood transfusion. Twelve patients (0.58%) underwent blood transfusion postoperatively following laparoscopic cholecystectomy, of which ten were transfused due to severe intra-abdominal bleeding (0.48%). There were no deaths.

CONCLUSIONS

The likelihood of blood transfusion attributable to elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy is 1:200. A routine preoperative blood group and save testing is unnecessary. It neither alters the management of severe hypovolemia, secondary to perioperative bleeding, nor does it lead to better outcomes.

Population-based cohort study of variation in the use of emergency cholecystectomy for benign gallbladder diseases

Background

The aims of this prospective population-based cohort study were to identify the patient and hospital characteristics associated with emergency cholecystectomy, and the influences of these in determining variations between hospitals.

Methods

Data were collected for consecutive patients undergoing cholecystectomy in acute UK and Irish hospitals between 1 March and 1 May 2014. Potential explanatory variables influencing the performance of emergency cholecystectomy were analysed by means of multilevel, multivariable logistic regression modelling using a two-level hierarchical structure with patients (level 1) nested within hospitals (level 2).

Results

Data were collected on 4744 cholecystectomies from 165 hospitals. Increasing age, lower ASA fitness grade, biliary colic, the need for further imaging (magnetic retrograde cholangiopancreatography), endoscopic interventions (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography) and admission to a non-biliary centre significantly reduced the likelihood of an emergency cholecystectomy being performed. The multilevel model was used to calculate the probability of receiving an emergency cholecystectomy for a woman aged 40 years or over with an ASA grade of I or II and a BMI of at least 25·0 kg/m2, who presented with acute cholecystitis with an ultrasound scan showing a thick-walled gallbladder and a normal common bile duct. The mean predicted probability of receiving an emergency cholecystectomy was 0·52 (95 per cent c.i. 0·45 to 0·57). The predicted probabilities ranged from 0·02 to 0·95 across the 165 hospitals, demonstrating significant variation between hospitals.

Conclusion

Patients with similar characteristics presenting to different hospitals with acute gallbladder pathology do not receive comparable care.

Breast gangrene as a complication of puerperal sepsis

Gangrene of the breast, although rare, has been reported following anticoagulant treatment, trauma, and infection. Two cases of breast gangrene due to puerperal sepsis have been reported. We report a case of right breast gangrene as a complication of puerperal sepsis in a female patient.