Annals of Surgical Oncology

This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of early oral feeding (EOF) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (nCT) combined with “non-tube no fasting”-enhanced recovery after minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE). This retrospective study investigated patients who underwent nCT combined with non-tube no fasting-enhanced recovery after MIE in the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Ward I, of the authors’ hospital from January 2014 to August 2017. These patients were divided into an early oral feeding (EOF) group (n = 112) and a late oral feeding (LOF) group (n = 69). The postoperative complications were compared between the two groups. The study enrolled 181 patients (112 patients in the EOF group and 69 patients in the LOF group). No significant differences were found between the two groups in the incidence rates of complications such as anastomotic leakage (P = 0.961), pneumonia (P = 0.450), respiratory failure (P = 0.944), heart failure (P = 1.000), acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) (P = 0.856), and unplanned reoperation (P = 0.440), whereas the time to the first postoperative flatus/bowel movement (P < 0.001) and the postoperative length of stay (P < 0.001) were significantly better in the EOF group than in the LOF group.. In this study, EOF after nCT combined with non-tube no fasting-enhanced recovery after MIE did not significantly increase complications, but significantly shortened the time to the first postoperative flatus/bowel movement and the postoperative length of stay.

Reduced-port laparoscopic surgery for patients with early gastric cancer has been rarely reported. The aim of this study was to introduce techniques of the reduced-port laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy (duet LADG) in patients with early gastric cancer. Duet LADG was performed by two persons, an operator and a scopist. Three 10 mm ports were used on the umbilicus and both sides of the lower abdomen. The same laparoscopic instruments were used for duet LADG as for conventional LADG. After the liver was retracted with a 1-0 nylon suture, partial omentectomy with D1 + β or more lymph node dissection was made. After distal subtotal resection of the stomach, bowel continuity was restored by intracorporeal gastrojejunostomy using two linear staplers. A specimen was removed through the umbilical incision after the extension. A total of 30 consecutive patients underwent duet LADG from October to December 2013. The median age of the patients was 51 years (range 29–75 years), and their median body mass index was 23.2 kg/m2 (range 18.5–29.6 kg/m2). Sixteen (53.3 %) of 30 patients were female. Operating times for patients who received duet LADG were 121.2 ± 17.7 min. Blood loss during operations averaged 82 ml. The median number of dissected lymph nodes was 35 (range 24–66). There was no patient with fewer than 15 dissected lymph nodes. The rate of complications in patients who underwent duet LADG was 16.7 % (5 of 30 patients). Two patients (6.7 %) experienced ileus, and another 2 (6.7 %) patients experienced small bowel obstruction. One patient had pneumonia. There was no postoperative mortality. Duet LADG for patients with early gastric cancer is feasible without the need for additional ports, any special devices, or an assistant.

The duodenum is a rare site of primary gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST). Overall (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) after limited resection (LR) versus pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) were studied. All patients who underwent surgery for primary, localized duodenal GIST between 2000 and 2011 were identified from four prospective institutional databases. OS and DFS were calculated by Kaplan–Meier method. Univariate analysis was performed. Eighty-four patients (median follow-up 42 months) underwent LR (n = 56, 67 %) or PD (n = 28, 33 %). Patients in the PD group had a larger median tumor size (7 cm vs. 5 cm, p = 0.024) and higher mitotic count (39 % vs. 19 % >5/50 high-power fields, p = 0.05). Complications were observed in five patients (9 %) in the LR group and ten patients (36 %) in the PD group. OS and DFS for the entire cohort were 89 % and 64 % at 5 years, respectively. No difference in outcome between LR and PD were observed. Eleven patients were treated with preoperative IM. A major RECIST response was obtained in nine (80 %), whereas two had stable disease. Twenty-three patients received postoperative Imatinib (IM). A trend toward a better OS in IM-treated patients could be detected only in the high-risk group. Type of duodenal resection does not impact outcome. The choice should be determined by duodenal site of origin and tumor size. IM may be considered in cases at high risk of recurrence; in neoadjuvant setting, IM might facilitate resection and possibly increase the chance of preserving normal biliary and pancreatic anatomy.

There are no reliable markers of dysplasia in patients with incidentally discovered intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms of the pancreas (IPMN). IPMN dysplasia may be associated with mucin protein (MUC) expression and histopathologic subtype. We hypothesize that MUC expression in cyst fluid and serum can identify lesions with high risk of malignancy. Cyst fluid and serum were collected from 40 patients during pancreatectomy for IPMN between 2005 and 2009. Samples were grouped into low-risk (low-grade or moderate dysplasia, n = 21) and high-risk groups (high-grade dysplasia or carcinoma, n = 19). Mucin expression (MUC1, MUC2, MUC4, and MUC5AC) was assessed utilizing enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. MUC2 and MUC4 cyst fluid concentrations were elevated in high-risk versus low-risk groups (10 ± 3.0 ng/ml vs. 4.4 ± 1.2 ng/ml, p = 0.03; 20.6 ± 10.6 ng/ml vs. 4.5 ± 1.4 ng/ml, p = 0.03, respectively). Corresponding serum samples revealed higher levels of MUC5AC in high-risk compared with low-risk patients (19.9 ± 9.3 ng/ml vs. 2.2 ± 1.1 ng/ml, p = 0.04). Histopathologic subtype was significantly associated with grade of dysplasia, and the intestinal subtype displayed increased MUC2 cyst fluid concentrations (13.8 ± 6.5 ng/ml vs. 4.1 ± 0.9 ng/ml, p = 0.02). In this study, high-risk IPMN showed elevated cyst fluid concentrations of MUC2 and MUC4, and increased serum levels of MUC5AC. High-risk IPMN also displayed a distinct mucin expression profile in specific histologic subtypes. These data, if validated, may allow surgeons to more appropriately select patients for operative resection.