Search

Competing Interests: Disclosure: Kazunari Sasaki, Jane Wang, Carsten Kamphues, Stefan Buettner, Johan Gagniere, Victoria Ardilles, Katsunori Imai, Doris Wagner, Ioannis Pozios, Dimitris Papakonstantinou, Emmanouil Pikoulis, Efstathios Antoniou, Daisuke Morioka, Inger Marie Løes, Per Eystein Lønning, Peter Kornprat, Federico N. Aucejo, Hideo Baba, Eduardo de Santibañes, Klaus Kaczirek, Richard Burkhart, Itaru Endo, Katharina Beyer, Martin E Kreis, Timothy M. Pawlik, and Georgios Antonios Margonis have no conflicts of interest/competing interests to declare.

Competing Interests: Disclosure: The authors have no conflicts of interest to report.

Background: Recent studies have suggested that certain combinations of KRAS or BRAF biomarkers with clinical factors are associated with poor outcomes and may indicate that surgery could be "biologically" futile in otherwise technically resectable colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM). However, these combinations have yet to be validated through external studies., Patients and Methods: We conducted a systematic search to identify these studies. The overall survival (OS) of patients with these combinations was evaluated in a cohort of patients treated at 11 tertiary centers. Additionally, the study investigated whether using high-risk KRAS point mutations in these combinations could be associated with particularly poor outcomes., Results: The recommendations of four studies were validated in 1661 patients. The first three studies utilized KRAS, and their validation showed the following median and 5-year OS: (1) 30 months and 16.9%, (2) 24.3 months and 21.6%, and (3) 46.8 months and 44.4%, respectively. When analyzing only patients with high-risk KRAS mutations, median and 5-year OS decreased to: (1) 26.2 months and 0%, (2) 22.3 months and 15.1%, and (3) not reached and 44.9%, respectively. The fourth study utilized BRAF, and its validation showed a median OS of 10.4 months, with no survivors beyond 21 months., Conclusion: The combinations of biomarkers and clinical factors proposed to render surgery for CRLM futile, as presented in studies 1 (KRAS high-risk mutations) and 4, appear justified. In these studies, there were no long-term survivors, and survival was similar to that of historic cohorts with similar mutational profiles that received systemic therapies alone for unresectable disease., Competing Interests: Disclosure. None to report., (© 2024. Society of Surgical Oncology.)

Background: Regular surveillance imaging is commonly used after curative-intent resection of most solid-organ cancers to enable prompt diagnosis and management of recurrent disease. Given the fear of cancer recurrence, surveillance may lead to distress and anxiety ("scanxiety") but its frequency, severity, and management among cancer survivors are poorly understood., Methods: A systematic review of the PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and PsycINFO databases was conducted to evaluate existing literature on anxiety and emotional experiences associated with surveillance after curative-intent cancer surgery as well as interventions aimed at reducing scanxiety., Results: Across the 22 included studies encompassing 8693 patients, reported rates of scanxiety varied significantly, but tended to decrease as time elapsed after surgery. Qualitative studies showed that scanxiety arises from various factors innate to the surveillance experience and is most prevalent in the scan-to-results waiting period. Common risk factors for scanxiety included sociodemographic and cancer-related characteristics, low coping self-efficacy, pre-existing anxiety, and low patient well-being. Conversely, reassurance was a positive aspect of surveillance reported in several studies. Trials evaluating the impact of interventions all focused on modifying the surveillance regimen compared with usual care, but none led to reduced rates of scanxiety., Conclusions: Although scanxiety is nearly universal across multiple cancer types and patient populations, it is transient and generally limited in severity. Because existing trials evaluating interventions to reduce scanxiety have not identified effective strategies to date, future research is needed to identify interventions aimed at reducing their impact on high-risk individuals., Competing Interests: Disclosure: There are no conflict of interest., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Benzodiazepines are the third most misused medication, with many patients having their first exposure during a surgical episode. We sought to characterize factors associated with new persistent benzodiazepine use (NPBU) among patients undergoing cancer surgery., Patients and Methods: Patients who underwent cancer surgery between 2013 and 2021 were identified using the IBM-MarketScan database. NPBU was defined as one prescription filled during the 90-180 days period after surgery by patients who were previously benzodiazepine naïve. The association of variables with perioperative benzodiazepine use and NPBU was assessed using multivariable regression., Results: Among 34,637 patients with cancer (breast: n = 5460, 15.8%; lung: n = 3479, 10.0%; esophagus: n = 384, 1.1%; gastric: n = 852, 2.5%; liver: n =502, 1.4%; biliary: n = 268, 0.8%; pancreas: n = 1290, 3.7%; colon: n = 10,838, 31.3%; rectum: n = 2566, 7.4%; prostate: n = 8998, 26.0%), most were male (n = 19,687, 56.8%) with a median age of 57 years (IQR 51-61 years). Overall, 8.8% of patients had perioperative benzodiazepine use and 7.5% of patients developed NPBU following surgery. On multivariable analyses, perioperative benzodiazepine exposure (ref. no perioperative exposure: OR 2.00, 95% CI 1.68-2.38) and higher perioperative dose of > 32.0 lorazepam milligram equivalents (LME) (ref. < 10 LME: OR 2.42, 95% CI 2.01-2.92) were independently associated with higher odds of NPBU. Notably, male patients had lower odds of NPBU versus female patients (OR 0.80, 95% CI 0.68-0.94)., Conclusions: Roughly 1 in 13 commercially insured patients developed NPBU following surgery for cancer. Judicious use of benzodiazepines among patients with high risk of misuse can mitigate NPBU to help avoid benzodiazepine-related complications such as overdose or accidental deaths., Competing Interests: Disclosures: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. The authors declare no funding or financial support. The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2024. Society of Surgical Oncology.)

Background: We sought to define whether and how hepatic ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) as manifested by perioperative aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransaminase (ALT) levels impact long-term outcomes after curative-intent resection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)., Patients and Methods: Intrasplenic injection of HCC cells was used to establish a murine model of HCC recurrence with versus without I/R injury. Patients who underwent curative resection for HCC were identified from a multi-institutional derivative cohort (DC) and separate external validation (VC) cohort. Perioperative changes of transaminase levels were examined relative to the recurrence-free (RFS) and overall survival (OS) among patients following HCC resection., Results: Mice exposed to hepatic I/R injury were more likely to experience tumor recurrence, as well as higher luminescence signal intensity (all p < 0.05) versus mice with no I/R injury. Relative changes between AST and ALT (sum of AST/ALT ratios, SAAR) on postoperative day (POD) 1 and POD 3 AST 1 ALT 1 and AST 3 ALT 3 were calculated using the formula: SAAR = 1 2 AST 1 ALT 1 + AST 3 ALT 3 via Fourier transform theory. Among 734 patients in DC, the median SAAR was 2.1. After adjusting for other competing risk factors, SAAR ≥ 2.0 remained strongly associated with risk of postoperative recurrence (ref. SAAR < 2.0, HR 1.32, p = 0.03), whereas SAAR ≥ 3.5 was associated with risk of postoperative mortality (ref. SAAR < 3.5, HR 1.86, p < 0.01). SAAR demonstrated good accuracy to predict postoperative recurrence (c-index 0.724, 0.731) and mortality (c-index 0.655, 0.765) in DC and VC, respectively., Conclusions: Use of routine labs such as AST and ALT can help identify patients at high risk of recurrence and mortality following HCC resection., Competing Interests: Disclosure: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2024. Society of Surgical Oncology.)

Background: Poor infrastructure in deprived areas may hinder access to health care, and a lack of socioeconomic resources can prevent patients from remaining at home after discharge. This study sought to assess the association between the Area Deprivation Index (ADI) and days at home within 90 days (DAH-90) after a complex operative procedure., Methods: Patients who underwent an elective operation for a gastrointestinal cancer between 2016 and 2020 were identified from the Medicare Standard Analytic Files. County-level ADI was calculated using a weighted average of ADI percentiles for each census block within a county. The association between ADI and DAH-90 and the impact of DAH-90 on 1-year expenditures and 1-year mortality were evaluated., Results: Among 72,452 patients who underwent a surgical procedure, median patient age was 75 years (interquartile range [IQR] 71-81) and 54.3% of patients had a Charlson Comorbidity Index higher than 2. A +0.2 increase in ADI was associated with 12.6% lower odds of achieving high DAH-90 (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.874; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.845-0.903) compared with low DAH-90. Notably, high DAH-90 (mean difference, -55,614$; 95% CI, -56,540$ to -54,687$) and medium DAH-90 (mean difference, -39,538$; 95% CI, -40,194$ to -38,882$) were associated with markedly decreased 1-year total expenditures, as well as lower 1-year mortality compared with patients who spent fewer days at home after surgery., Conclusions: Increasing area deprivation was associated with higher likelihood of spending fewer days at home after a complex cancer surgical procedure. Patients spending fewer days at home were far more likely to die within 1 year and experienced higher health care costs., Competing Interests: Disclosure: There are no conflicts of interest., (© 2024. Society of Surgical Oncology.)

Purpose: Neoadjuvant therapy (NT) is increasingly used for gastrointestinal (GI) and hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) cancers. Risk factors for surgical attrition during NT are poorly understood. A planned secondary analysis of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) from a prospective cohort study of patients undergoing NT was performed to identify factors associated with surgical attrition., Methods: Adult patients with GI/HPB cancer receiving NT were provided a mobile phone application administering QOL assessments every 30 days and measuring mood/symptoms until NT completion. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were performed to determine the association between demographic, clinical characteristics, and PROs with surgical attrition (no surgery (NS) versus surgery or watchful waiting (SWW)). Mixed-effects regression models evaluated trends of QOL and symptoms between the cohorts., Results: Among 104 enrolled patients, mean age was 60.5 ± 11.5 years, 57 (55%) were male, and 95 (91%) were Caucasian. After a mean duration of 3.4 months of NT, 76 (73%) patients underwent SWW, while 28 (27%) did not (NS). Cancer type (HPB vs GI, OR 7.0, CI 2.7-19.3, p < 0.001), comorbidities (OR 1.72, CI 1.0-2.99, p = 0.05), and severe complications during NT (OR 4.2, CI 1.2-15.3, p = 0.03) were associated with NS. There were no differences between longitudinal QOL scores or PROs among patients who underwent SWW versus NS except for the lack of appetite, which was associated with NS (OR 3.6, CI 1.0-12.2, p = 0.04)., Conclusions: Among patients undergoing NT for GI/HPB malignancies, type of cancer, comorbidities, and severe complications during NT were associated with failure to undergo surgery, whereas QOL and PROs were largely not., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics Approval: This study was performed in line with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Approval was granted by the clinical scientific review committee and institutional review board of The Ohio State University (#2020C0071). Consent to Participate: Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Competing Interests: Disclosure: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Background: Gastrointestinal (GI) cancer diagnosis can adversely affect the mental health (MH) of household members, including spouses and children. We sought to examine potential changes in MH claims in households following an index patient's GI cancer diagnosis., Methods: Households of patients with a GI cancer diagnosis were identified using the IBM MarketScan database (2014-2019) and matched with households of patients without cancer. MH-related visits of spouses and children were assessed in the 12 months before and after the index date of diagnosis. Changes were compared between the two cohorts using difference-in-difference (DID) analysis., Results: Among 40,650 households in the spouse analysis and 20,014 households in the child analysis, 25.1% (n = 10,210) and 26.8% (n = 5,368) were households in which there was a patient with a GI cancer. Univariable DID analysis demonstrated that households with a GI cancer had a greater increase in anxiety-related (spouses, 2.2% vs 0.7%; children, 2.0% vs 1.1%), mental illness (MI)-related (spouses, 3.2% vs 1.2%; children, 3.0% vs 1.6%), and overall MH-related visits (spouses, 3.3% vs 1.4%) versus the control group (all P < .05). In adjusted DID analysis, spouses, children, and households with a GI cancer diagnosis had a 2.1%, 1.6%, and 2.3% absolute risk increase of MI-related visits, respectively, compared with non-cancer households (all P < .05)., Conclusion: In a cohort of privately insured households, coinsured spouses and children of patients with a GI cancer diagnosis had a higher risk of MH-related claims versus households without a GI cancer diagnosis. The data highlight the importance of family counseling and psychological support when a loved one is diagnosed with cancer., (Copyright © 2024 Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Gallbladder cancer (GBC) has been associated with high rates of recurrence and dismal prognosis even after curative-intent resection. The prognostic utility of the modified albumin-bilirubin (mALBI) score among individuals undergoing curative-intent resection for GBC has not been determined., Methods: Patients who underwent radical resection for GBC between 2000 and 2022 were identified from an international, multi-institutional database. Preoperative albumin and bilirubin levels were used to calculate the mALBI score. The relationship among mALBI score, overall survival (OS), and recurrence-free survival (RFS) was examined., Results: Among 269 patients who underwent radical resection for GBC, 161 (59.9%) had mALBI grade 1, 48 (17.8%) had grade 2a, 47 (17.5%) had grade 2b, and 13 (4.8%) had mALBI grade 3. After surgery, compared with patients with a low mALBI grade (grade 1/2a), individuals with a high mALBI grade (grade 2b/3) had worse 5-year OS (54.4% vs 19.2%, respectively; P < .001) and RFS (42.0% vs 17.8%, respectively; P < .001). On multivariable analysis, after controlling for relevant clinicopathologic variables, individuals with a high mALBI score remained independently associated with higher risks of death and recurrence (OS: hazard ratio [HR], 2.38 [95% CI, 1.50-3.79]; RFS: HR, 2.12 [95% CI 1.41-3.20]) versus patients with a low mALBI score after curative-intent resection for GBC. Of note, mALBI score was associated with incrementally worse survival within T2, T3, and N+ categories, whereas classic American Joint Committee on Cancer subclassifications failed to distinguish patients with long-term survival., Conclusion: The mALBI score presents a simple, objective measure of hepatic functional reserve and may be a useful prognostic tool for patients undergoing curative-intent resection for GBC., (Copyright © 2024 Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: There is significant variation in inpatient expenditures among physicians and hospitals. This study aimed to characterize the association between variation in physician spending and short-term outcomes among patients undergoing surgery for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and colorectal cancer (CRC)., Methods: Patients who underwent surgery for PDAC and CRC from 2010 to 2020 were identified using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Result-Medicare-linked database. The cohort was divided into quartiles based on adjusted physician spending, and multivariate models were used to assess the association between physician spending and patient outcomes., Results: Among 27,596 Medicare beneficiaries, 25,615 (92.8%) underwent surgery for CRC and 1981 (7.2%) underwent surgery for PDAC. Of the variations in spending, 79.9% were due to patient-level factors, 13.3% were due to hospital characteristics, and 6.8% were due to surgeon-level variables. On multivariate analysis, there was no association between physician spending and 30-day readmission (with complications: first quartile [Q1], reference; Q4: odds ratio [OR], 1.10; 95% CI, 0.86-1.41; P = .123; without complications: Q1, reference; Q3, stage IV: OR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.68-1.40; P = .882) or between physician spending and 30-day mortality (without complications: Q1, reference; Q2, stage I: OR, 1.17; 95% CI, 0.45-3.01; P = .804). However, an increase in physician spending was associated with higher 30-day mortality among patients with complications (Q1, reference; Q4: OR, 2.28; 95% CI, 1.72-3.03; P < .001)., Conclusion: There was more variation in healthcare spending across hospitals than across individual physicians. No consistent association between variation in physician spending and patient outcomes was noted. Wasteful spending can be reduced through targeted interventions aimed at reducing variations at the physician and hospital levels., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Despite improvements in intraoperative and postoperative outcomes of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC), spilled gallstones (SGs) after LC remain a significant yet often overlooked complication, occurring in 1% to 40% of cases. This review discusses the most recent updates regarding the risk factors, presentations, complications, diagnosis, management, and prognosis of SGs after LC., Methods: A comprehensive systematic review was conducted using MEDLINE/PubMed, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, and the Web of Science databases, with the range of search dates being between January 2015 and July 2024, regarding SG incidence, management, and complications., Results: Risk factors for SGs after LC include intraoperative gallbladder perforation because of poor operational environment, quantity, size, and type of stone (pigment, cholesterol rich, or mixed); presence of adhesions or anatomic variations; and insufficient surgical training. Of note, 60% of SG complications are abscesses from bacterial infections, which can progress to peritonitis, fistulas, lung/liver abscesses, and choledocholithiasis. SGs were associated with delayed presentation of unexpected clinical problems, with even diagnosis. Although treatment depends on the severity of the complication, when SGs are identified through imaging, often ultrasound and computed tomography, minimally invasive approaches and antibiotic courses are viable first-line approaches., Conclusion: Although LC-associated spillage of gallstones is rare, the complications can be a serious cause of morbidity. Therefore, proper notification of operative complications, a high index of suspicion for patients with a previous history of LC, and awareness of appropriate diagnostic modalities are key variables for the early diagnosis and prevention of SG-related complications., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: US News and World Report (USNWR) hospital rankings influence patient choice of hospital, but their association with surgical outcomes remains ill-defined. We sought to characterize clinical outcomes and costs of surgery for colon cancer among USNWR top ranked and unranked hospitals., Methods: Using Medicare Standard Analytic Files, patients aged ≥65 years undergoing surgery for colon cancer were identified. Hospitals were categorized as 'ranked' or 'unranked' based on USNWR cancer hospital rankings. One-to-one matching was performed between patients treated at ranked and unranked hospitals, and clinical outcomes and costs of surgery were compared., Results: Among 50 ranked and 2522 unranked hospitals, 13,650 patient pairs were compared. Overall, 30-day mortality was 2.13% in ranked hospitals versus 3.68% in unranked hospitals (p < 0.0001), and the overall paired cost difference was $8159 (p < 0.0001). As patient risk increased, 30-day mortality differences became larger, with the ranked hospitals having 30-day mortality of 7.59% versus 11.84% for unranked hospitals among the highest-risk patients (p < 0.0001). Overall paired cost differences also increased with increasing patient risk, with cost of care being $72,229 for ranked hospitals versus $56,512 for unranked hospitals among the highest-risk patients (difference = $14,394; p = 0.02). The difference in cost per 1% reduction in 30-day mortality was $9009 (95% confidence interval [CI] $6422-$11,597) for lowest-risk patients, which dropped to $3387 (95% CI $2656-$4119) for highest-risk patients (p < 0.0001)., Conclusion: Treatment at USNWR-ranked hospitals, particularly for higher-risk patients, was associated with better outcomes but higher-cost care. The benefit of being treated at highly ranked USNWR hospitals was most pronounced among high-risk patients., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Racial and sex disparities in the incidence and outcomes of patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) exist, yet potential genomic variations of iCCA based on race and sex that might be contributing to disparate outcomes have not been well studied., Methods: Data from the American Association for Cancer Research Project GENIE registry (version 15.0) were analyzed to assess genetic variations in iCCA. Adult patients (age >18 years) with histologically confirmed iCCA who underwent next-generation sequencing were included in the analytic cohort. Racial and sex variations in genomic profiling of iCCA were examined., Results: The study enrolled 1068 patients from 19 centers (White, 71.9%; Black, 5.1%; Asian, 8.4%, other, 14.6%). The male-to-female ratio was 1:1. The majority of the patients had primary tumors (73.7%), whereas 23.0% had metastatic disease sequenced. While IDH1 mutations occurred more frequently in White versus Black patients (20.8% vs. 5.6%; p = 0.021), FGFR2 mutations tended to be more common among Black versus White populations (27.8% vs. 16.1%; p = 0.08). Males were more likely to have TP53 mutations than females (24.3% vs. 18.2%, p = 0.016), whereas females more frequently had IDH1 (23.3% vs 16.0 %), FGFR2 (21.0% vs. 11.3%), and BAP1 (23.4% vs. 14.5%) mutations than males (all p < 0.05). Marked variations in the prevalence of other common genomic alterations in iCCA were noted across different races and sexes., Conclusion: Distinct genomic variations exist in iCCA across race and sex. Differences in mutational profiles of iCCA patients highlight the importance of including a diverse patient population in iCCA clinical trials as well as the importance of recognizing different genetic drivers that may be targetable to treat distinct patient cohorts., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: The effect of "time to surgery (TTS)" on outcomes for curative-intent hepatectomy of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains debated. The interaction between tumor burden score (TBS) and TTS remains unclear. We sought to evaluate the effects of TBS and TTS on long-term HCC outcomes., Methods: Patients with HCC who underwent curative-intent hepatectomy (2000-2022) were analyzed from a multi-institutional database and categorized by TTS (≤60 or >60 days). Overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival were assessed., Results: Among 910 patients, median TTS estimates were 22 days in the short TTS group (n = 485) and 120 days in the long TTS group (n = 425). Patients with long TTS were older and were more likely to have American Society of Anesthesiologists class >2, diabetes mellitus, and cirrhosis. There was no difference in median TBS among patients who had short versus long TTS (4.61 vs 5.00, respectively). In addition, there was no difference in 5-year OS (70.0% vs 63.1%, respectively; P =.05). On multivariate analysis TBS (hazard ratio [HR], 1.07; 95% CI, 1.03-1.11; P <.001), log alpha-fetoprotein (HR, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.01-1.14; P =.02), and albumin-bilirubin score (HR, 2.52; 95% CI, 1.66-3.82; P <.001) were associated with OS. In contrast, TTS was not associated with OS (HR, 1.18; 95% CI, 0.78-1.77; P =.43). Interaction analysis demonstrated that TBS was asssociated with OS among patients with short TTS (HR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.07-1.17; P <.001), but not among patients with long TTS (HR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.91-1.05; P =.56). Among patients with low TBS (≤5), higher mortality was observed with long TTS versus short TTS (5-year OS: 82.4% vs 63.0%, respectively; P =.001); however, TTS was not associated with OS among patients with high TBS (5-year OS: 57.9% vs 63.3%, respectively; P =.92). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that long TTS was a risk factor for OS among patients with low TBS (HR, 3.12; 95% CI, 1.60-6.01; P <.001), but not among individuals with high TBS (HR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.30-1.07; P =.08). Similar trends were observed relative to cancer-specific survival., Conclusion: TTS needs to be considered in light of patient and tumor-specific factors. Expediting TTS may be particularly important among patients with HCC and a low TBS., (Copyright © 2024 Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Competing Interests: Ethics approval and consent to participate: This study was performed in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and was approved by the Institutional Review Boards of all participating hospitals.

Background: There is an ongoing debate on surgical training and its evolution to meet the demands of a complex and changing healthcare environment., Methods: A GI Surgery Summit was held in January 2024 that included prominent leaders and rising talents from the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, Society of Surgical Oncology, Association for Academic Surgery, and Society of University Surgeons. This meeting was held to address the multifaceted current and future challenges of surgery., Results: This paper addresses the topic of recruitment and training of the next generation of surgeons in the United States and abroad and reflects a collective focus on surgical education to ensure the delivery of high-quality care in an increasingly sophisticated medical and surgical landscape., Conclusion: The discussions and recommendations from the 2024 GI Surgery Summit underscore the crucial need to support diversity, embrace innovative educational frameworks, build a robust global surgical workforce, and foster a culture of wellness and support. Focusing on these key areas ensures that the future leaders of surgery are not only skilled and knowledgeable but also resilient and compassionate, ready to meet the evolving challenges of the healthcare landscape., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Despite cost-standardization efforts, significant variations in hospital costs persist in insurance claims. We sought to identify and quantify factors driving cost variability at hospital and cost center levels following a complex gastrointestinal surgical procedure., Methods: Individuals who underwent pancreatectomy (PA), colectomy (CO), and proctectomy (PR) were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. Index surgery costs across 1,262 hospitals were compared, adjusting for clinical, demographic, and geographic factors. Multilevel regression modeling identified factors associated with variability in charges., Results: Among 35,908 individuals (PA: 8.2%; CO: 79.4%; PR: 12.4%), the median age was 78 years (interquartile range [IQR] 72-84), with 56.1% male. Median Medicare payments varied significantly by cancer type (CO: $21,704, PA: $26,709, PR: $21,228; p < 0.001). Operating room ($6,891, 23.82%), hospital stay ($5,931, 20.9%), and professional fees ($4,352, 15.35%) were the top cost centers, comprising 60% of total costs. Surgeons had the highest charges (PA: $2,037; CO: $2,131; PR: $2,243), followed by anesthesiologists (PA: $622; CO: $431; PR: $480). Charges for critical care specialists and pathologists were relatively low. Multilevel modeling demonstrated total charge variability was primarily influenced by patient factors (83%), followed by surgeon factors (9%) and hospital factors (8%)., Conclusions: There was marked variation in spending at the cost center level in the surgical treatment of gastrointestinal cancers. Patient factors demonstrated the greatest variability, followed by hospital and surgeon-level factors. Implementing value-based healthcare and standardized surgical protocols may improve both care quality and cost-effectiveness., Competing Interests: Disclosure The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2024. Society of Surgical Oncology.)

Competing Interests: Disclosure Giovanni Catalano and Timothy M. Pawlik declare no conflicts of interest that may be relevant to the contents of this article.

Competing Interests: Disclosures None.

Competing Interests: Disclosure The authors have no conflict of interests to declare.

Background: Lymph node metastasis (LNM) is among the most important predictors of poor prognosis after surgery for gallbladder cancer (GBC). Traditionally, staging has been based on the raw count of LNM, with a high risk of understaging patients who undergo inadequate lymph node dissection (LND). The log odds of metastatic lymph nodes (LODDS) may represent an alternative staging approach to stratify patients more accurately after resection of GBC., Patients and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, patients who underwent curative-intent surgery with LND for GBC were identified from an international database. Two predictive models were built and compared, each integrating a different lymph nodes status indicator [i.e., American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) and LODDS]., Results: Among 199 patients, the median number of lymph nodes examined was 5 [interquartile range (IQR): 3.0, 8.0]; most patients had T1 (n = 26, 13.1%) or T2 (n = 97, 48.7%) disease, and a subset had LNM (n = 87, 44.0%). Multivariable Cox analysis demonstrated LODDS was an independent predictor of overall survival [hazard ratio (HR) 1.84, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.5-2.3; p < 0.001]. The LODDS model demonstrated better performance compared with a traditional model that utilized the AJCC N category [concordance (C) index: 0.814 versus 0.763; p < 0.001]. Patients classified as high- versus low-risk based on LODDS had much worse overall survival (OS) (4.9% versus 83.7%, respectively; p < 0.001). The LODDS model performance remained high even among patients with inadequate LND (< 6 LN) (C index: 0.87). An online calculator was developed ( https://catalano-giovanni.shinyapps.io/LoddsGBC/ )., Conclusions: A novel prognostic model based on LODDS may overcome the inherent limitations of the current AJCC staging system, reducing understaging among patients with fewer than six total lymph nodes evaluated., Competing Interests: Disclosure The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (© 2024. Society of Surgical Oncology.)

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the value of radiomics features derived from baseline computed tomography (CT) scans and volumetric measurements to predict overall survival (OS) in patients with nonsurgical pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) treated with a chemotherapy combination regimen of 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, irinotecan, and oxaliplatin (FOLFIRINOX)., Methods: In this retrospective single-institution study, 131 patients with nonsurgical PDAC who received FOLFIRINOX neoadjuvant chemotherapy between December 2012 and November 2021 were included. Pretreatment contrast-enhanced CT images were obtained for all patients before inclusion. The primary tumor was contoured by an expert radiologist with 25 years of experience. A total of 845 radiomics features, including first-, second-, and higher-order features, were extracted from the total tumor volume. A feature reduction pipeline was used to reduce the dimensionality of the data. The selected features were used to generate a radiomics score based on the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator coefficients. A high-dimensional Cox model was generated on the basis of the radiomics score and other quantitative and semantic imaging findings., Results: From the 845 radiomics features extracted, 45 were significantly different between the tertiles. The following equation was used to generate a radiomics score: radiomics score = SmallAreaEmphasis (-66.87801 + LargeDependenceEmphasis) - 0.2345916. The radiomics score was significantly different among the 3 groups of the radiomics features (P = .034). The overall difference in survival was significant among the 3 groups (P = .02). The nomogram showed good calibration and showed significant differences among the patients when they were classified as tertiles (P < .00)., Conclusion: Radiomics approaches have the potential to predict OS in nonsurgical patients with PDAC, and the inclusion of semantic imaging findings and pathologic data could further enhance prognostication in patients with PDAC., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: The prognostic role of the fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index relative to intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) after hepatectomy remains unclear. This study sought to characterize the impact of the FIB-4 index and tumor burden score (TBS) on recurrence and overall survival (OS)., Methods: ICC patients undergoing hepatectomy (2000-2020) were identified using a multi-institutional database. Patients were categorized as low (low TBS/low FIB-4 index), intermediate (low TBS/high FIB-4 index or high TBS/low FIB-4 index), and high (high TBS/high FIB-4 index)., Results: Among 1168 patients in different TBS and FIB-4 index cohorts, 3-year recurrence varied considerably. For instance, among the patients with low TBS, individuals with a high FIB-4 index had a greater risk of recurrence than patients with a low FIB-4 index (59.9 vs. 47.7%; P = 0.01). Among patients with a high TBS, individuals with a high versus a low FIB-4 index had a higher incidence of recurrence (76.8 vs. 69.0%; P = 0.04). A similar pattern was observed among patients with both a low FIB-4 index (low [47.7%] vs. high [69.0%] TBS) and a high FIB-4 index (low [59.9%] vs. high [76.8%] TBS; both P < 0.001). Patients with a high [27.5%] versus a low [48.8%] TBS; P < 0.001) and patients with a high [34.2%] versus a low [43.5%] FIB-4 index; P = 0.01) had a worse OS. The multivariable analysis demonstrated an increasing risk of recurrence in the intermediate-index (hazard ratio [HR], 1.61; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.20-2.16; P = 0.001) and high-index (HR, 2.13; 95% CI 1.45-3.13; P < 0.001) groups versus the low-index group., Conclusions: Both tumor-related and non-tumorous characteristics should be used to predict risk of recurrence and survival more accurately among patients with ICC following hepatic resection., (© 2024. Society of Surgical Oncology.)

Background: Historically, housing policies have perpetuated the marginalization and economic disinvestment of redlined neighborhoods. Residential segregation persists nowadays in the form of contemporary redlining, promoting healthcare disparities. The current study sought to assess the effect of redlining on oncological outcomes of patients with gastrointestinal cancer and identify mediators of the association., Methods: Patients with colorectal or hepatobiliary cancer were identified from the linked Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare database (2007-2019). The contemporary redlining index, a measure of mortgage lending bias, was assessed relative to disease stage at diagnosis, receipt of appropriate treatment, textbook outcome, and mortality. Mediation analysis was used to identify socioeconomic, structural, and clinical mediating factors., Results: Among 94,988 patients, 32.2% resided in high (n = 23,872) and highest (n = 6,791) redlining census tracts compared with 46.2% in neutral and 21.6% in low redlining tracts. The proportion of Black, Hispanic, and White patients experiencing high and highest redlining was 65.9%, 41.6%, and 27.9%, respectively. Highest redlining was associated with 18.2% higher odds of advanced disease at diagnosis, greater odds of not undergoing surgery for localized disease (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.363, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.219-1.524) or not receiving chemotherapy for advanced disease (aOR 1.385, 95% CI 1.216-1.577), and 26.7% lower odds of textbook outcome achievement. Mediation analysis for appropriate treatment quantified the proportion of the association driven by socioeconomic status, racial/ethnic minority status, racial/economic segregation, primary care shortage, and housing/transportation., Conclusions: Contemporary redlining contributed both directly, and via downstream factors, to disparities in oncological care and outcomes of patients with gastrointestinal cancer., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Liver transplantation (LT) for nonresectable colorectal liver metastasis (NRCRLM) has become accepted for select patients meeting strict inclusion criteria. Advancements in patient selection and understanding of cancer biology may expand benefits to patients with colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM). In this meta-analysis, we sought to assess survival outcomes, recurrence patterns, and quality of life (QoL) after LT for CRLM., Methods: PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases were searched. A random-effect meta-analysis was conducted to obtain pooled overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates and to compare QoL from baseline. Continuous data were analyzed, and standardized mean differences were reported., Results: Overall, 16 studies (403 patients, 58.8% male sex) were included. The pooled 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS after LT for NRCRLM was 96% (95% CI: 92%-99%), 77% (95% CI: 62%-89%), and 53% (95% CI: 45%-61%), respectively. Moreover, the pooled 1-, 3-, and 5-year DFS was 58% (95% CI: 43%-72%), 33% (95% CI: 9%-61%), and 13% (95% CI: 4%-27%), respectively. Overall, 201 patients (49.8%) experienced recurrence during the follow-up period with the lungs being the most common site (45.8%). There was no significant differences in physical and emotional functioning, fatigue, and pain components of QoL at 6 months after LT compared with baseline (all P > .05)., Conclusion: LT for NRCRLM demonstrated good OS outcomes with no differences in the QoL at 6 months after transplantation. Transplantation may represent a viable treatment option for NRCRLM., (Copyright © 2024 Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: We sought to develop an artificial intelligence (AI)-based model to predict early recurrence (ER) after curative-intent resection of neuroendocrine liver metastases (NELMs)., Methods: Patients with NELM who underwent resection were identified from a multi-institutional database. ER was defined as recurrence within 12 months of surgery. Different AI-based models were developed to predict ER using 10 clinicopathologic factors., Results: Overall, 473 patients with NELM were included. Among 284 patients with recurrence (60.0%), 118 patients (41.5%) developed an ER. An ensemble AI model demonstrated the highest area under receiver operating characteristic curves of 0.763 and 0.716 in the training and testing cohorts, respectively. Maximum diameter of the primary neuroendocrine tumor, NELM radiologic tumor burden score, and bilateral liver involvement were the factors most strongly associated with risk of NELM ER. Patients predicted to develop ER had worse 5-year recurrence-free survival and overall survival (21.4% vs 37.1% [P = .002] and 61.6% vs 90.3% [P = .03], respectively) than patients not predicted to recur. An easy-to-use tool was made available online: (https://altaf-pawlik-nelm-earlyrecurrence-calculator.streamlit.app/)., Conclusion: An AI-based model demonstrated excellent discrimination to predict ER of NELM after resection. The model may help identify patients who can benefit the most from curative-intent resection, risk stratify patients according to prognosis, as well as guide tailored surveillance and treatment decisions including consideration of nonsurgical treatment options., (Copyright © 2024 Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Primary care (PC) is essential to overall wellness and management of comorbidities. In turn, patients without adequate access to PC may face healthcare disparities. We sought to characterize the impact of established PC on postoperative outcomes among patients undergoing a surgical procedure for a digestive tract cancer., Methods: Medicare beneficiaries with a diagnosis of hepatobiliary, pancreas, and colorectal cancer between 2005 and 2019 were identified within the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program and Medicare-linked database. Individuals who did versus did not have PC encounters within 1-year before surgery were identified. A postoperative textbook outcome (TO) was defined as the absence of complications, no prolonged hospital stay, no readmission within 90 days, and no mortality., Results: Among 63,177 patients, 50,974 (80.7%) had at least one established PC visit before surgery. Patients with established PC were more likely to achieve TO (odds ratio [OR], 1.14; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09-1.19) with lower odds for complications (OR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.72-0.89), extended hospital stay (OR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.81-0.94), 90-day readmission (OR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.90-0.99), and 90-day mortality (OR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.79-0.96). In addition, patients with established PC had a 4.1% decrease in index costs and a 5.2% decrease in 1-year costs. Notably, patients who had one to five visits with their PC in the year before surgery had improved odds of TO (OR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.16-1.27), whereas individuals with more than 10 visits had lower odds of a postoperative TO (OR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.84-0.98)., Conclusion: Most Medicare beneficiaries with digestive tract cancer had established PC within the year before their surgery. Established PC was associated with a higher probability of achieving ideal outcomes and lower costs. In contrast, patients with more than 10 PC appointments, which was likely a surrogate of overall comorbidity burden, experienced no improvement in postoperative outcomes., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Whipple pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) is a complex gastrointestinal surgery that is performed increasingly via minimally invasive approach through robotic platforms. We sought to provide a comparative review of available data regarding robot-assisted vs open PD in terms of cost-effectiveness, overall survival, and other perioperative and long-term oncologic outcomes., Methods: Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses criteria, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were searched from 1980 to April 2024 using designated keywords. English-language studies comparing costs and oncologic outcomes of robotic vs open PDs were considered for inclusion. Reviews, abstracts, case reports, letters to the editor, and non-English articles were excluded., Results: A total of 1733 studies were initially identified throughout the literature search. After the removal of duplicates, title and abstract screening identified 16 studies that were included in the review. No statistically significant differences were detected in terms of short-term complications (95% CI, 0.805-1.096; P = .42), mortality (95% CI, 0.599-1.123; P = .21), and readmission (95% CI, 0.959-1.211; P = .20) among patients undergoing open vs robotic PD. Robotic PDs was associated with a slightly better overall survival (95% CI, 1.020-1.233) and higher costs (95% CI, 0.134-1.139; P = .013). Mean length of stay (LOS) was higher in the open PD group (95% CI, -0.353 to 0.189; P < .001)., Conclusion: Robotic-assisted PD had a slightly shorter LOS and improved overall survival. There were no differences in short-term complications, mortality, or readmission. The use of cohort studies and residual potential selection bias necessitate randomized controlled trials to define the benefit of robotic PD., (Copyright © 2024 Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Owing to the heterogeneity of underlying primary tumors, noncolorectal, nonneuroendocrine metastases to the liver (NCNNMLs), although relatively rare, pose major challenges to treatment and long-term management. Despite being considered the gold standard for colorectal cancer liver metastases, the role of surgical resection for NCNNML remains controversial. Furthermore, advancements in locoregional treatment modalities, such as ablation and various chemotherapeutic modalities, have contributed to the treatment of patients with NCNNML., Methods: This was a comprehensive review of literature that used Medline/PubMed, Google Scholar, the Cochrane Library, and the Web of Science, which were accessed between 2014 and 2024., Results: NCNNMLs are rare tumor entities with varied presentation and outcomes. A multidisciplinary approach, which includes chemotherapy, surgery, and interventional radiologic techniques, can be implemented with good results., Conclusion: Given the complex nature of NCNNML, its management should be highly individualized and multidisciplinary. Locoregional treatments, such as surgical resection and/or ablation, may be more appropriate for select patients and should be offered as a viable therapeutic option for a subset of individuals., (Copyright © 2024 Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Liver metastasis impacts survival in patients with gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs); however, current guidelines lack consensus on post-resection surveillance and adjuvant therapy. A comprehensive risk stratification tool is needed to guide personalized management., Objective: We aimed to develop and validate a predictive model for liver metastasis risk after surgical resection of GEP-NETs that incorporates pathological factors and adjuvant therapy., Methods: Patients with GEP-NETs who underwent surgical resection with curative intent at three major Chinese hospitals (2010-2022) were identified. Univariable and multivariable Cox regression analysis identified independent risk factors of liver metastasis. The liver metastasis score (LMS) was developed using weighted risk factors and validated by tenfold cross-validation., Results: Among the 724 patients included in the analytic cohort, liver metastasis occurred in 66 patients (9.1%) at a median of 36 months; patients with liver metastasis had a worse 5-year overall survival (no liver metastasis 63.6% vs. liver metastasis 95.8%; p < 0.001). Independent predictors were Ki-67 index (hazard ratio [HR] 10.36 for Ki-67 3-20%, HR 18.30 for Ki-67 >20%, vs. <3%), vascular invasion (HR 5.03), lymph node metastases (HR 2.24), and lack of adjuvant therapy (HR 3.03). The LMS demonstrated excellent discrimination (C-index 0.888) and stratified patients into low, intermediate, and high-risk relative to 5-year risk of liver metastasis: 2.9%, 20.8%, and 49.7%, respectively (p < 0.001)., Conclusions: The novel LMS effectively predicted the risk of liver metastasis after surgical resection of GEP-NETs. This validated model can help guide personalized surveillance and adjuvant treatment strategies, potentially improving outcomes for high-risk patients., (© 2024. Society of Surgical Oncology.)

Background: New persistent opioid use (NPOU) after surgery may represent a public health issue that adversely affects health outcomes and long-term patient survival. This study aimed to characterize the risk of NPOU relative to surgical approach among different operative procedures., Methods: Patients who underwent either open (open surgery [OS]) or minimally invasive (minimally invasive surgery [MIS]) pneumonectomy, pancreatectomy, and colectomy between 2013 and 2020 were identified from the IBM MarketScan database. NPOU was defined as 2 subsequent opioid refills within the first 90-day period, as well as in the following 91- to 180-day period after surgery among opioid-naive patients. Multivariate logistic regression was used to characterize the association between the surgical approach and the risk of NPOU., Results: Among 45,757 patients who underwent surgery (pneumonectomy: 7.6%; pancreatectomy: 7.1%; colectomy: 85.3%), median age was 54 years (IQR, 48-60). Most individuals were female (51.5%) and had a malignant indication (67.3%) for surgery. Overall, 50.7% of patients underwent OS, whereas 49.3% of patients underwent MIS. Subsequently, 4.8% of patients developed NPOU. The likelihood of NPOU was higher among patients who underwent OS than among individuals who underwent MIS (5.9% vs 3.6%, respectively; P < .001). Patients who underwent OS had higher 6-month total milligram equivalent doses (OS: 250 [IQR, 135-600] vs MIS: 200 [IQR, 100-421]) and days of opioid use (OS: 7 [IQR, 3-15] vs MIS: 5 [IQR, 3-10]) (both P < .001). Relative to OS, MIS was associated with 35% lower odds of NPOU (0.65; 95% CI, 0.59-0.71)., Conclusion: 1 in 20 patients who underwent surgery experienced NPOU. MIS was associated with fewer days of opioid use and lower dosages, which translated into lower NPOU after surgery., (Copyright © 2024 Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing interests.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third most fatal and fifth most common cancer worldwide, with rising incidence due to obesity and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Imaging modalities, including ultrasound (US), multidetector computed tomography (MDCT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) play a vital role in detecting HCC characteristics, aiding in early detection, detailed visualization, and accurate differentiation of liver lesions. Liver-specific contrast agents, the Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System, and advanced techniques, including diffusion-weighted imaging and artificial intelligence, further enhance diagnostic accuracy. This review emphasizes the significant role of imaging in managing HCC, from diagnosis to treatment assessment, without the need for invasive biopsies., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)