Search

Objective: Laparoscopic anatomical hepatectomy has been proven to be achievable for segmentectomy, subsegmentectomy and multi-segmentectomy. The extraglissonian approach in the context of selective hepatic inflow occlusion has been skilled under laparoscopy. This study aims to examine the suitability of the technique stated above for laparoscopic anatomical hepatectomy. Methods: This retrospective study analyzed the clinical data of 114 patients diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma who underwent laparoscopic anatomical hepatectomy using the extraglissonian hepatic inflow occlusion technique at the Faculty of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery, Chinese PLA General Hospital between September 2020 and December 2022. Results: The success rate of achieving the ischemic area using the described methods was determined to be 74.6%. Out of the 85 cases that underwent laparoscopic anatomical hepatectomy, 34 cases involved segmentectomy, 5 cases involved subsegmentectomy, and 46 cases involved multi-segmentectomy. The average duration of the operation, blood loss volume, and postoperative hospital stay were 229.0 ± 85.0 min, 133.0 ± 112.0 mL, and 5.4 ± 1.7 d, respectively. Notably, no intraoperative blood transfusions were necessary, and no postoperative complications were observed. Conclusion: The extraglissonian hepatic inflow occlusion technique exhibits a notable advantage in terms of a high success rate, effectively guiding the selection process during laparoscopic parenchymal transection. Moreover, this technique has demonstrated safety, reproducibility, and significant potential for broader clinical adoption.

In clinical practice, pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (pNENs) with a diameter smaller than 2 cm are commonly referred to as small pNENs. Due to their generally favorable biological characteristics, the diagnosis and treatment of small pNENs differ from other pNENs and are somewhat controversial. In response to this, the Chinese Pancreatic Surgery Association, Chinese Society of Surgery, Chinese Medical Association have developed a consensus on the diagnosis and treatment of small pNENs, which is based on evidence-based medicine and expert opinions. This consensus covers various topics, including concepts, disease assessment, treatment selection, follow-up, and other relevant aspects.

Background Over 70% of the patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are diagnosed at an advanced stage and lose the opportunity for radical surgery. Combination therapy of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and anti-programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) antibodies has achieved a high tumor response rate in both the first-line and second-line treatment of advanced HCC. However, few studies have prospectively evaluated whether TKIs plus anti-PD-1 antibodies could convert unresectable intermediate-advanced HCC into resectable disease.Methods This single-arm, phase II study enrolled systemic therapy-naïve adult patients with unresectable Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage B or C HCC. Patients received oral lenvatinib one time per day plus intravenous anti-PD-1 agents every 3 weeks (one cycle). Tumor response and resectability were evaluated before the fourth cycle, then every two cycles. The primary endpoint was conversion success rate by investigator assessment. Secondary endpoints included objective response rate (ORR) by independent imaging review (IIR) assessment per modified RECIST (mRECIST) and Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors, V.1.1 (RECIST 1.1), progression-free survival (PFS) and 12-month recurrence-free survival (RFS) rate by IIR per mRECIST, R0 resection rate, overall survival (OS), and safety. Biomarkers were assessed as exploratory objectives.Results Of the 56 eligible patients enrolled, 53 (94.6%) had macrovascular invasion, and 16 (28.6%) had extrahepatic metastasis. The median follow-up was 23.5 months. The primary endpoint showed a conversion success rate of 55.4% (31/56). ORR was 53.6% per mRECIST and 44.6% per RECIST 1.1. Median PFS was 8.9 months, and median OS was 23.9 months. Among the 31 successful conversion patients, 21 underwent surgery with an R0 resection rate of 85.7%, a pathological complete response rate of 38.1%, and a 12-month RFS rate of 47.6%. Grade ≥3 treatment-related adverse events were observed in 42.9% of patients. Tumor immune microenvironment analysis of pretreatment samples displayed significant enrichment of CD8+ T cells (p=0.03) in responders versus non-responders.Conclusion Lenvatinib plus anti-PD-1 antibodies demonstrate promising efficacy and tolerable safety as conversion therapy in unresectable HCC. Pre-existing CD8+ cells are identified as a promising biomarker for response to this regimen.Trial registration number Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR1900023914.

Background:. Acute pancreatitis (AP) was a potentially fatal disease with a variation in severity. Infected pancreatic necrosis was a common complication in AP which needed surgical intervention. The present study was to study the correlative factors of death in patients with infected pancreatic necrosis after surgical intervention. Methods:. From January 2016 to October 2019, a total of 186 patients with infected pancreatic necrosis after surgical intervention in the First Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital were retrospectively enrolled in this study. Of the 186 patients, 22 who died in the hospital were defined as a mortality group and the others as a survival group. The clinical characteristic of the 2 groups was compared and the relative risk of mortality in patients with infected pancreatic necrosis after the surgical intervention was studied. Results:. Acute fluid collection, acute kidney injury, acute lung injury, acute liver injury, multiple organ dysfunction syndromes, abdominal bleeding, abdominal Acinetobacter baumannii infection, pulmonary infection, pulmonary A baumannii infection, positive blood culture, A baumannii of blood culture, severe acute pancreatitis according to Atlanta 2012, the use of continuous renal replacement therapy, mechanical ventilation and minimally invasive retroperitoneal pancreatic necrosectomy was associated with death in hospital. Older age, longer acute kidney injury lasting time, longer acute lung injury lasting time, longer acute liver injury lasting time, and longer multiple organ dysfunction syndromes lasting time in predicting mortality in patients with infected pancreatic necrosis after surgical intervention were (0.635 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.512–0.758], P = .040), (0.877 [95% CI: 0.788–0.965], P = .000], (0.932 [95% CI: 0.897–0.968], P = .000), (0.822 [95% CI: 0.708–0.935], P = .000), and (0.943 [95% CI: 0.887–0.998], P = .000). Due to the small number of death cases, the results of the multivariate analyses were not available. Conclusion:. In this single-center retrospective study of 186 cases of infected pancreas necrosis, the correlative factors of death are identified. The results warranted further strategies are needed especially focusing on elder patients to prevent blood infection and to protect the functions of vital organs.

Background:. Persistent external pancreatic fistula (EPF) in patients with pancreatic duct disruption or disconnection can result from minimal access to retroperitoneal pancreatic necrosectomy (MARPN) in severe acute pancreatitis patients, which is a difficult problem for clinicians and requires a long treatment duration. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness and safety of trans-sinus gastric stent placement and drainage using interventional technology in the management of persistent EPF after MARPN in severe acute pancreatitis. Methods:. From August 2018 to December 2020, the data of 9 patients with persistent EPF treated with trans-sinus gastric stent placement and drainage in our hospital were retrospectively collected. The main outcome measures were technical success rate, recurrence rate, new pancreatic fluid collection, morbidity, and mortality. All patients were followed up after the procedure through clinic visits and imaging modalities. Results:. The median age of the patients was 46 years (30–61 years). The median persistent EPF duration was 5 months (2–12 months). The median follow-up time was 41 months (range, 20–47 months). The median operation time was 48 minutes (range, 40–54 minutes), and the technical success rate was 100%. Seven days after treatment, the percutaneous drainage tubes of all patients were removed. Six months after the procedure, 2 patients lost the stents, and one of those patients suffered from a pseudocyst, which gradually increased to a maximum diameter of 7 cm over 9 months. Therefore, a double pigtail drainage tube was placed under the guidance of an endoscope. The second of these 2 patients had no recurrence or pseudocyst. Twelve months after the procedure, another 3 patients lost the stents; 18 months after the procedure, another 2 patients lost the stents. These patients had no recurrence as well. No other adverse events or deaths occurred during the study period. Conclusion:. Trans-sinus tract gastric stent placement and drainage are safe and effective in the treatment of persistent EPF after MARPN in severe acute pancreatitis patients. However, this study had a small sample size and did not include a comparative group.

Abstract. Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a common acute abdominal condition of the digestive system. In recent years, treatment concepts, methods, and strategies for the diagnosis of AP have advanced, and this has played an important role in promoting the standardization of AP diagnosis and treatment and improving the treatment quality of AP patients. On the basis of previous guidelines and expert consensus, this guideline adopts an evidence-based, problem-based expression; synthesizes important clinical research data at home and abroad in the most recent 5 years; and forms 29 recommendations through multidisciplinary expert discussion, including diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. It is expected to provide evidence support for the treatment of AP in the clinical setting in China.

Abstract. The incidence of pancreatic cancer has been rising worldwide, and its clinical diagnosis and treatment remain a great challenge. To present the update and improvements in the clinical diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer in recent years, Chinese Pancreatic Association, the Chinese Society of Surgery, Chinese Medical Association revised the Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer in China (2014) after reviewing evidence-based and problem-oriented literature published during 2015–2021, mainly focusing on highlight issues regarding diagnosis and surgical treatment of pancreatic cancer, conversion strategies for locally advanced pancreatic cancer, treatment of pancreatic cancer with oligo metastasis, adjuvant and neoadjuvant therapy, standardized processing of surgical specimens and evaluation of surgical margin status, systemic treatment for unresectable pancreatic cancer, genetic testing, as well as postoperative follow up of patients with pancreatic cancer. Forty recommendation items were finally proposed based on the above issues, and the quality of evidence and strength of recommendations were graded using the Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation system. This guideline aims to standardize the clinical diagnosis and therapy, especially surgical treatment of pancreatic cancer in China, and further improve the prognosis of patients with pancreatic cancer.

Objective:. The aim of this study is to investigate the current status of the diagnosis and treatment of patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (pNENs) undergoing surgery in China. Methods:. This is a multicenter cross-sectional study performed in China. Data from patients with pNENs undergoing surgery at 33 high-volume medical centers, where the number of pancreatectomies exceeds 20 cases per year, were collected and analyzed between March 1, 2016 and February 28, 2017. Results:. In total, 392 patients with pNENs were enrolled. The male to female ratio was 1.4. The majority of patients were aged between 40 and 70 years. 65.6% of the patients had non-functional tumors. Among those with functional tumors, the percentages of insulinomas, gastrinomas, glucagonomas, and vasoactive intestinal peptide-secreting tumors were 94.8%, 1.5%, 2.2%, and 1.5%, respectively. Multidisciplinary team (MDT) discussion was conducted for 39.0% of the patients. Minimally invasive surgery was performed on 31.1% of the 392 patients. The incidence of grade B/C pancreatic fistula formation was 4.4%. A total of 89.0% of the surgeries achieved R0 resection, and 41.6% of the tumors were well differentiated. Lymph node metastasis was present in 8.9% of the patients. The percentages of patients with grades G1, G2, and G3 disease were 49.2%, 45.7%, and 5.1%, respectively. Conclusion:. This multicenter cross-sectional study systematically presents the current status of the diagnosis and treatment of patients with pNENs undergoing surgery in China. MDT consultation for pNENs has not been widely implemented in China. Although the incidence of surgical complications is relatively low, minimally invasive procedures should be further promoted. This study shows us how to improve the outcomes of these patients.

Abstract. Objective:. The aim of this study is to investigate the current status of pancreatic cancer patients undoing surgical treatment in China and to find ways to improve the survival of these patients in the future. Methods:. This study is a national, multicenter, cross-sectional study in China. Information regarding pancreatic cancer patients undergoing surgical treatment from 34 high-volume tertiary IIIA level hospitals was collected and analyzed from the March 1, 2016 to the February 28, 2017. Results:. In total, 2200 pancreatic cancer patients were enrolled from 34 tertiary IIIA level hospitals in 16 provinces across China. The male-to-female ratio was 1.5. More than 80% of the patients were between 50 and 70 years old. The top 4 symptoms were epigastric discomfort, abdominal pain, jaundice, and weight loss. Carbohydrate antigen 19-9 and carcinoembryonic antigen were elevated in 70.9% and 27.1% of patients, respectively. A multidisciplinary team (MDT) discussion was carried out for 35.0% of patients before surgery. The proportion of minimally invasive pancreatic surgeries was approximately 20%. A total of 83.4% of the operations achieved R0 resection, and the incidence of grade 3/4 postoperative complications was 7.7%. Only 13.4% of the patients received postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. The percentage of pathological stage I tumors was only 24.5%. Conclusion:. The majority of pancreatic cancer patients undergoing surgical resection in China are in an advanced stage. The MDT consultations for pancreatic cancer have not been widely carried out. R0 resection has been achieved in most cases, with relatively low incidence of serious complications, but minimally invasive pancreatic surgery should be further promoted. The application of postoperative chemotherapy remains low. This national, multicentre, cross-sectional study comprehensively presents the current status of pancreatic cancer patients undergoing surgical treatment and shows the road to improve survival of these patients in the future.

Pancreatitis is a type of inflammation in the pancreas, which frequently occurs due to alcohol and gallstones. The present study aimed to identify pancreatitis-associated microRNAs (miRNAs) by analyzing the microarray of GSE24279. GSE24279 was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus, composed of a collective of 27 pancreatitis and 22 normal control samples. The differentially expressed miRNAs (DE-miRNAs) in pancreatitis samples were screened using the Limma package in Bioconductor. Subsequently, target genes of the DE-miRNAs were predicted using the miRecords and miRWalk databases. Their potential functions were analyzed by functional and pathway enrichment analysis using the Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery online tool. Finally, pancreatitis-associated genes among the target genes identified were searched using the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database, and a regulatory network of pancreatitis-associated genes and their target miRNAs were constructed using Cytoscape software. A total 14 upregulated and 39 downregulated miRNAs were identified in pancreatitis samples compared with control samples and 290 target genes of DE-miRNAs were determined. Cyclin D1 (CCND1), v-akt murine thymoma viral oncogene homolog 2 (AKT2), cyclin-dependent kinase 6 (CDK6) and SMAD family member 2 (SMAD2) were involved in the pathway of pancreatic cancer. Among the target genes, 279 genes were pancreatitis-associated genes, which in turn were targeted by 37 miRNAs in the regulatory network. Hsa-miR-15a, hsa-miR-16, hsa-miR-155, hsa-miR-375 and hsa-miR-429 in particular may be involved in pancreatitis by targeting genes in the regulatory network, including hsa-miR-15a→CCND1, hsa-miR-16→CCND1, hsa-miR-155→CCND1/SMAD2, hsa-miR-375→AKT2/CDK6 and hsa-miR-429→CCND1. The above miRNAs and their targets may contribute to the pathogenesis of pancreatitis; therefore, they may be potential therapeutic targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The high prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) imposes a huge burden of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Asia. Surgical resection remains an important therapeutic strategy for HCC. Hepatic inflow occlusion, known as the Pringle maneuver, is the most commonly used method of reducing blood loss during liver parenchymal transection. A major issue with this maneuver is ischemia-reperfusion injury to the remnant liver, and the hemodynamic disturbance it induces in the tumor-bearing liver raises an oncological concern. Given the technical advances in living donor liver transplantation, vascular occlusion in liver resection can be avoided in experienced hands. The aim of this study is to compare the perioperative and long-term outcomes of liver resection for HBV-related HCC without versus with hepatic inflow occlusion. Methods/design: This study will include eligible patients with HBV-related HCC elected for liver resection. Fifty-seven patients will be enrolled in each randomization arm to detect a 20 % difference in the serum level of total bilirubin on postoperative day 5 (80 % power and α = 0.05). The secondary endpoints include procedural parameters, perioperative liver function and inflammatory response, postoperative morbidity and mortality, and long-term outcomes. Patients will be followed for up to 5 years. Data will be statistically analyzed on an intention-to-treat basis. Discussion: This prospective randomized controlled trial is designed to compare the perioperative and long-term outcomes of liver resection for HBV-related HCC without versus with vascular occlusion. The clinical implications of these outcomes may change current surgical practice and fill the oncological gaps therein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

GATA5 is a transcription factor that is capable of suppressing the development of various types of human cancer. The present study investigated the expression of GATA5 and GATA4, and examined their roles in the proliferation and colony formation ability of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues and cells. The GATA4 and GATA5 expression levels and gene promoter methylation of HCC tissue samples from 38 patients and HCC cell lines were analyzed using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and methylation-specific PCR (MSP), respectively. The effects of GATA4 and GATA5 overexpression on the proliferation and colony forming ability of HCC cells were also assessed using cell viability and colony formation assays. A luciferase reporter assay was utilized to investigate the transcriptional interaction of GATA4 and GATA5 with canonical Wnt signaling. The results indicated that the expression levels of GATA4 and GATA5 were lost or reduced following methylation of gene promoters in HCC tissues and cell lines. Treatment with a demethylating agent, 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-AZA), restored GATA4 and GATA5 expression in HCC cell lines. Furthermore, methylation of the GATA5 promoter was observed to be associated with the age of patients exhibiting HCC. Restoration of GATA4 and GATA5 expression inhibited colony formation and induced apoptosis of HCC cells in vitro. The present study concluded that the expression levels of GATA4 and GATA5 were reduced in HCC tissues and cell lines. Treatment with 5-AZA restored GATA4 and GATA5 expression in HCC cell lines, suppressing tumor cell growth and colony formation, as well as inducing apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNA (miRNA) is a type of short non-coding RNA that suppresses the expression of protein coding genes by partial complementary binding to the 3'-untranslated regions (UTRs) of mRNAs. miRNA expression alterations are involved in the initiation, progression and metastasis of human cancer and it has been suggested that miRNAs function as tumor suppressors as well as oncogenes in cancer development. PIM-3 is a member of the proto-oncogene PIM family, the aberrant expression of which exists in human pancreatic cancer tissues. There are reports indicating that overexpression of PIM3 is associated with the promotion of pancreatic cancer cell proliferation. The aim of the present study was to identify micro (mi)RNAs that regulate the expression of the oncogene PIM3 in PC. It was confirmed that the expression of PIM3 was regulated by miRNAs through an AGO2 knockout experiment. Subsequently, a dual luciferase assay system was constructed and used to screen 13 selected miRNAs that may target the PIM3 3'UTR directly. The results indicated that miR-15a/b, miR-16, miR-33a/b, miR-124, miR-195 and miR-506 repressed the luciferase activity by targeting the PIM3 3'UTR. However, only the expression of miR-506 was negatively correlated with PIM3 expression in PC tissues (r=-0.38, P=0.017). Furthermore, a biological functional study indicated that miR-506 functioned as a tumor suppressor by repressing PC cell proliferation, which was partially reversed by PIM3 overexpression. To the best of our knowledge, the present study was the first to reveal the tumor suppressor function of miR-506 in PC, which has the potential to be employed in the diagnosis and treatment of PC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continuous theoretical and technological progress in the face of increasing expectations for quality health care has transformed the surgical paradigm. The authors systematically review these historical trends and propose the novel paradigm of "precision surgery," featuring certainty-based practice to ensure the best result for each patient with multiobjective optimization of therapeutic effectiveness, surgical safety, and minimal invasiveness. The main characteristics of precision surgery may be summarized as determinacy, predictability, controllability, integration, standardization, and individualization. The strategy of precision in liver surgery is to seek a balance of maximizing the removal of the target lesion, while maximizing the functional liver remnant and minimizing surgical invasiveness. In this article, the authors demonstrate the application of precision approaches in specific settings in complex liver surgery. They propose that the concept of precision surgery should be considered for wider application in liver surgery and other fields as a step toward the ultimate goal of perfect surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common liver tumor in Asian countries, and hepatectomy is currently regarded as the optimal curative treatment for HCC; however, the postoperative outcome remains unsatisfactory. Aiming at further clarification of prognostic factors after hepatectomy, we adopted a detailed stratification on survival periods. A total of 428 HCC patients undergoing curative hepatectomy were firstly divided into two groups using 2-year survival as cutoff point. Multivariate analysis showed that tumor-related factors, including vascular invasion (P < 0.001), high Edmondson grade (P < 0.001), large tumor size (P < 0.001) and high serum alpha-fetoprotein level (P = 0.001), were significant determinants for early death within 2 years, while postoperative transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) was demonstrated a protective factor (P = 0.013). Then the 281 patients with survival > 2 years were divided into two subgroups according to survival or death during follow-up to examine the late death related factors. We found that high serum γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), indicating severity of underlying liver disease, was significantly linked to death in this stage (P = 0.006). In further comparison of survival rates between subgroups stratified by early- and late-death indictors, we found the long-term outcomes of patients with high serum GGT were poor, regardless of the factors related with primary tumor. Furthermore, postoperative TACE decreased late death rate of patients with high GGT levels. In conclusion, despite the overwhelmed effects of primary tumor in the early stage after hepatectomy, postoperative TACE is beneficial for HCC patients with poor liver status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]