Sentinel lymph node biopsy as a prognostic factor in non-metastatic colon cancer: a prospective study

PURPOSE

Around a third of node-negative patients with colon cancer experience a recurrence after surgery, suggesting poor staging. Sentinel lymph node techniques combined with immunochemistry could improve colon cancer staging. We prospectively assessed the effect of Sentinel node mapping on staging and survival in patients with non-metastatic colon cancer.

METHODS

An observational and prospective study was designed. 105 patients with colon cancer were selected. Patients were classified according to node involvement as: N1, with node invasion detected by the conventional techniques; up-staged, with node invasion detected only by sentinel node mapping; and N0, with negative lymph node involvement by both techniques. Five-year survival and disease-free survival rates were analysed. Multivariate regression analyses were performed to identify prognostic factors for disease-free and overall survival.

RESULTS

Sentinel node mapping was successfully applied in 78 patients: 33 % were N1; 24.5 % were up-staged (18 patients with isolated tumour cells and 1 patient with micrometastases); and 42.5 % were N0. N1 patients had the poorest overall 5-year survival (65.4 %) and 5-year disease-free survival (69.2 %) rates compared with the other two groups. No significant 5-year survival differences were observed between N0 patients (87.9 %) and up-staged patients (84.2 %).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients up-staged after sentinel node mapping do not have a poorer prognosis than patients without node involvement. Detection of isolated cancer cells was not a poor prognosis factor in these patients.

Sleeve gastrectomy effects on hunger, satiation, and gastrointestinal hormone and motility responses after a liquid meal test

BACKGROUND

The relation between hunger, satiation, and integrated gastrointestinal motility and hormonal responses in morbidly obese patients after sleeve gastrectomy has not been determined.

OBJECTIVE

The objective was to assess the effects of sleeve gastrectomy on hunger, satiation, gastric and gallbladder motility, and gastrointestinal hormone response after a liquid meal test.

DESIGN

Three groups were studied: morbidly obese patients (n = 16), morbidly obese patients who had had sleeve gastrectomy (n = 8), and nonobese patients (n = 16). The participants fasted for 10 h and then consumed a 200-mL liquid meal (400 kcal + 1.5 g paracetamol). Fasting and postprandial hunger, satiation, hormone concentrations, and gastric and gallbladder emptying were measured several times over 4 h.

RESULTS

No differences were observed in hunger and satiation curves between morbidly obese and nonobese groups; however, sleeve gastrectomy patients were less hungry and more satiated than the other groups. Antrum area during fasting in morbidly obese patients was statistically significant larger than in the nonobese and sleeve gastrectomy groups. Gastric emptying was accelerated in the sleeve gastrectomy group compared with the other 2 groups (which had very similar results). Gallbladder emptying was similar in the 3 groups. Sleeve gastrectomy patients showed the lowest ghrelin concentrations and higher early postprandial cholecystokinin and glucagon-like peptide 1 peaks than did the other participants. This group also showed an improved insulin resistance pattern compared with morbidly obese patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Sleeve gastrectomy seems to be associated with profound changes in gastrointestinal physiology that contribute to reducing hunger and increasing sensations of satiation. These changes include accelerated gastric emptying, enhanced postprandial cholecystokinin and glucagon-like peptide 1 concentrations, and reduced ghrelin release, which together may help patients lose weight and improve their glucose metabolism after surgery. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02414893.

Metastatic lymph node ratio versus number of metastatic lymph nodes as a prognostic factor in gastric cancer

OBJECTIVE

Knowledge of prognostic factors in gastric cancer is essential to decide on single patient management. We aim to establish the value of lymph node ratio compared to lymph node involvement in the prediction of gastric cancer survival and treatment approach.

METHODS

Charts of ninety-six consecutive patients undergoing gastrectomy for resectable gastric cancer were reviewed between January 1996 and December 2005. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted to verify the accuracy of metastatic lymph node ratio (MLNR) and number of metastatic lymph node (NMLN) cut-off values for survival prediction. Patients were divided into two groups according to ROC curve cut-offs and accuracy in prognosis was reviewed.

RESULTS

ROC curves showed that 5 metastatic nodes and a node ratio value of 20% had the best survival prognostic correlation. The median survival of patients with MLNR and NMLN were similar according to cut-off determinations (≤ 5/> 5 metastatic nodes and ≤20/>20% lymph node ratio). Five-year survival rates were 70.9% vs 17.1% and 72.4% vs 15.6%, respectively (p < 0.001). Positive correlation coefficient was found between the number of excised nodes and the number of metastatic nodes.

CONCLUSION

Number of metastatic lymph nodes showed greater accuracy than lymph node ratio for survival prediction in gastric cancer.

Mechanisms controlling function in the clasp and sling regions of porcine lower oesophageal sphincter

BACKGROUND

Characterization of functional differences between lower oesophageal sphincter (LOS) clasp and sling muscles might aid the development of more specific pharmacological and surgical approaches for the treatment of motility disorders.

METHODS

Circular LOS strips from 25 adult pigs were studied in organ baths to compare the physiology of clasp and sling fibres.

RESULTS

Sling strips developed greater tone than clasp fibres (mean(s.e.m.) 7.59(0.89) versus 4.72(0.67) g; P = 0.017). LOS tone was more dependent on extracellular calcium in clasp strips and on the activity of cholinergic enteric motor neurones (EMNs) in sling strips. The amplitude of maximal relaxation caused by electrical field stimulation (EFS, 3Hz) of EMNs was greater in clasp strips (mean(s.e.m.) 74.5(2.3) versus 58.1(2.2) per cent of tone; P < 0.001). EFS-induced relaxation was reduced in clasp fibres and fully blocked in sling fibres by nitrergic blockade with 10 micromol/l 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazole-[4,3-alpha]quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ). The amplitude of EFS cholinergic responses was significantly greater in sling fibres. In the clasp region, relaxation caused by stimulation of EMNs with 100 micromol/l nicotine was reduced by ODQ. In sling fibres, nicotine induced relaxation at rest and cholinergic contraction following ODQ.

CONCLUSION

Clasp and sling fibres of the porcine LOS show marked intrinsic functional differences. This should be considered when developing more specific approaches to human LOS motility disorders.

Planificación, gestión y resultados de la implantación de la cirugía laparoscópica de colon y recto en un hospital general

INTRODUCTION

The introduction of laparoscopic surgery in a hospital is a slow process requiring the involvement of a multidisciplinary team.

PATIENTS AND METHOD

We performed a prospective, descriptive study of all patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery of the colon and rectum in the Mataró Hospital between 2003 and 2006. We also describe the model used to introduce laparoscopic surgery of the colon and rectum in our center.

RESULTS

Between 2003 and 2006, 166 patients with colorectal disease underwent laparoscopic surgery. Patients included for rectal disease represented 36% of the total. The conversion rate was 7% of the mean in all the periods studied, with a complications rate of 13.25%.

CONCLUSIONS

The controlled development of laparoscopic surgery allows satisfactory results to be obtained in colorectal disease.

[Gallbladder adenocarcinoma: tumoral staging, histological prognostic factors and survival]

INTRODUCTION

Gallbladder adenocarcinoma is an aggressive tumor and is one of the digestive tract malignancies with the poorest prognosis. Because of loco-regional extension and delayed diagnosis, curative resection is often impossible. To determine histological prognostic factors and survival in relation to tumoral stage at diagnosis, we performed a retrospective study of our patients with gallbladder carcinoma.

PATIENTS AND METHOD

Sixty-two patients with gallbladder adenocarcinoma diagnosed over a 15-year period were retrospectively included in this study. The surgical procedures performed in this group of patients were laparoscopic cholecystectomy, open cholecystectomy and palliative surgery in patients with unresectable tumors. For each tumoral stage, age, sex, cellular differentiation, tumor size, the presence of metastatic nodes, histological variables linked to poor prognosis, and survival were compared.

RESULTS

Of the 62 patients included, 45 were women and 17 were men. The mean age was 75 years. No significant differences were found in relation to age or sex among the different tumoral stages. Cellular differentiation and survival were poorer with advanced tumoral stage. A significant predominance of histological factors of poor prognosis was found in T2 and T3 tumors.

CONCLUSIONS

Preoperative diagnosis of gallbladder adenocarcinoma is difficult except in advanced cases. It is often incidentally diagnosed at histological examination of gallbladders, and shows little local advancement and a good degree of cellular differentiation. The etiology of this tumor is unknown but its prevalence is greater among women. Clinical symptoms are similar to those caused by gallstones. In this study no relationship was found between age and sex and tumoral stage. In advanced tumoral stages poor cellular differentiation is predominant as well as other histological markers of poor prognosis. Good survival was found in T3 tumors, possibly linked to good cellular differentiation. Due to high associated comorbidity, none of the patients underwent reintervention.

[Diverticular disease of the cecal appendix]

INTRODUCTION

Appendiceal diverticula are uncommon, with an incidence of less than 1% in surgical specimens. We report a series of 14 patients with diverticular disease of the cecal appendix.

PATIENTS AND METHOD

A total of 547 patients with a clinical diagnosis of acute appendicitis underwent surgery over 4 years. Of these, 11 patients showed acute appendiceal diverticulitis at histological examination, and three patients showed diverticulosis associated with appendicitis. Clinical features were compared between the group of patients with diverticular disease and the group with acute appendicitis. Statistical analysis was performed using Students t-test and the chi-squared test.

RESULTS

The overall incidence of appendiceal diverticula was 2.6%, and 2% of cases had acute diverticulitis. In the group with diverticular disease, the mean age and the percentage of patients under clinical observation before the decision to perform surgery was made were significantly higher. There was a nonsignificant predominance of male over female patients and no differences were found in mean white cell count. No radiological investigations were performed in the diverticular group.

CONCLUSIONS

The incidence of appendiceal diverticula was much higher in our series than that reported in the literature. We found no clinical or perioperative data that would serve to differentiate acute diverticulitis from acute appendicitis.