Fayez A. Quereshy

Long-term outcome of stenting as a bridge to surgery for acute left-sided malignant colonic obstruction.

This study aimed to evaluate both the short‐ and long‐term outcomes associated with colonic stenting as a bridge to surgery in patients with obstructing adenocarcinoma of the colon.

Conditional Disease-Free Survival After Surgical Resection of Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors A Multi-institutional Analysis of 502 Patients

IMPORTANCE Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most commonly diagnosed mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract. The risk of recurrence following surgical resection of GISTs is typically reported from the date of surgery. However, disease-free survival (DFS) over time is dynamic and changes based on disease-free time already accumulated following surgery. OBJECTIVES To assess the comparative performance of established GIST recurrence risk prognostic scoring systems and to characterize conditional DFS following surgical resection of GISTs. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS A retrospective cohort study of 502 patients who underwent surgery for a primary, nonmetastatic GIST between January 1, 1998, and December 31, 2012, at 7 major academic cancer centers in the United States and Canada. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Disease-free survival of the patients was classified according to 5 prognostic scoring systems, including the National Institutes of Health criteria, modified National Institutes of Health criteria, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center GIST nomogram, and American Joint Committee on Cancer gastric and nongastric categories. The concordance index (also known as the C statistic or the area under the receiver operating curve) of established GIST recurrence risk prognostic scoring systems. Conditional DFS estimates were calculated. RESULTS Overall 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year DFS following resection of GISTs was 95%, 83%, and 74%, respectively. All the prognostic scoring systems had fair prognostic ability. For all tumor sites, the American Joint Committee on Cancer gastric category demonstrated the best discrimination (C = 0.79). Using conditional DFS, the probability of remaining disease free for an additional 3 years given that a patient was disease free at 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years was 82%, 89%, and 92%, respectively. Patients with the highest initial recurrence risk demonstrated the greatest increase in conditional survival as time elapsed. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Conditional DFS improves over time following resection of GISTs. This is valuable information about long-term prognosis to communicate to patients who are disease free after a period following surgery.

Surgical Management of Advanced Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors: An International Multi-Institutional Analysis of 158 Patients

BACKGROUND Patients with advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) are at high risk for recurrence after surgery. The aim of this study was to characterize outcomes of advanced GIST treated with surgery from a large multi-institutional database in the tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) era. STUDY DESIGN Patients who underwent surgery for an advanced GIST from 1998 through 2012 were identified. Demographic, clinicopathologic, perioperative, and survival data were collected and analyzed. RESULTS There were 87 patients with locally advanced GIST and 71 patients with recurrent/metastatic GIST. The vast majority (95%) of patients with locally advanced GIST required a multivisceral resection; most patients (87%) underwent a microscopically complete (R0) resection. Although 82% of patients had high-risk tumors according to modified NIH criteria or had recurrent/metastatic disease, only 56% of patients received adjuvant TKI therapy. Among patients with locally advanced GIST, 3-year recurrence-free survival and overall survival rates were 65% and 87%, respectively. In contrast, 3-year recurrence-free survival and overall survival rates among patients with recurrent/metastatic GIST were 49% and 82%, respectively. On multivariate analysis, predictors of worse outcomes included high mitotic rate and male sex for patients with locally advanced GIST, and age and lack of adjuvant TKI therapy were associated with adverse outcomes among patients with recurrent/metastatic GIST (all p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Resection of advanced GIST can be safely accomplished with high rates of R0 resection. Among patients with advanced GIST, TKI therapy was underused. Barriers to the use of TKI therapy in this population should be explored.

A nomogram to predict disease-free survival after surgical resection of GIST.

BackgroundGastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most common mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract. Adjuvant imatinib therapy has resulted in improved disease-free survival (DFS) following resection of primary GIST. The aim of our study was to create a nomogram to predict DFS following resection of GIST.MethodUsing a multi-institutional cohort of patients who underwent surgery for primary GIST at 7 academic hospitals in the USA and Canada between January 1998 and December 2012, a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model predicting DFS was created using backward stepwise selection. A nomogram to predict DFS following surgical resection of GIST was constructed with the variables selected in the multivariable model. We tested nomogram discrimination by calculating the C-statistic and compared the nomogram to four existing GIST prognostic stratification systems.ResultsA total of 365 patients who underwent surgery for primary GIST was included in the study. Using backward stepwise selection, sex, tumor size, tumor site, and mitotic rate were selected for incorporation into the nomogram. The nomogram demonstrated superior discrimination compared to the NIH criteria, modified NIH criteria, and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Nomogram and had similar discrimination to the Miettinen criteria (C-statistic 0.77 vs 0.73, 0.71, 0.71, and 0.78, respectively).ConclusionFour independent predictors of recurrence following surgery for primary GIST were used to create a nomogram to predict DFS. The nomogram stratified patients into prognostic groups and performed well on internal validation.

Oncologic Outcomes Following Laparoscopic versus Open Resection of pT4 Colon Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Locally advanced colon cancer is considered a relative contraindication for laparoscopic resection, and clinical trials addressing the oncologic safety are lacking. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to synthesize the oncologic outcomes associated with laparoscopic versus conventional open surgery for locally advanced colon cancers. DATA SOURCES: We systematically searched Medline, Embase, Central, and ClinicalTrials.gov. STUDY SELECTION: Two reviewers independently screened the literature for controlled trials or observational studies comparing curative-intent laparoscopic and open surgery for colon cancer. Studies were included if it was possible to determine outcomes for the T4 colon cancers separately, either reported in the article or calculated with individual patient data. INTERVENTIONS: Included studies were systematically reviewed and assessed for risk of bias. Meta-analyses were done by using random-effects models. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Outcomes of interest were disease-free survival, overall survival, resection margins, and lymph node harvest. RESULTS: Of 2878 identified studies, 5 observational studies met eligibility criteria with a total of 1268 patients (675 laparoscopic, 593 open). There was no significant difference in overall survival (HR, 1.28; 95% CI, 0.94–1.72), disease-free survival (HR, 1.20; 95% CI, 0.90–1.61), or positive surgical margins (OR, 1.16; 95% CI, 0.58–2.32) between the groups. The open group had a larger lymph node retrieval (pooled mean difference, 2.26 nodes; 95% CI, 0.58–3.93). The pooled rate of conversion from laparoscopy to an open procedure was 18.6% (95% CI, 9.3%–27.9%). LIMITATIONS: These results are limited by the inherent selection bias in the included nonrandomized studies. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the available literature, minimally invasive resection of selected locally advanced colon cancer is oncologically safe. There is a small increase in lymph node harvest with open resections, but it is unclear whether this is clinically significant. Surgeons should be prepared for a significant rate of conversion to laparotomy as required to perform en bloc resection.

Understanding Quality Issues in Your Surgical Department: Comparing the ACS NSQIP With Traditional Morbidity and Mortality Conferences in a Canadian Academic Hospital.

INTRODUCTION Review of surgical complications in traditional morbidity and mortality (M&M) rounds remains an important mechanism to identify and discuss quality-of-care issues. This process relies on case selection by providers; therefore, complications identified for review may differ from those captured in comprehensive quality programs such as the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP). Additionally, although the ACS NSQIP captures robust data on complications in surgical wards, without strategies to disseminate this information to staff and improve practice, minimal change may result. The objective of this study was to compare complications identified by the ACS NSQIP with those captured in M&M conferences at a large Canadian academic hospital. METHODS Retrospective medical record reviews of all patients admitted to the general surgery unit from March 2012 to March 2013 were reviewed. Number and types of complications were recorded for cases that were both submitted and reviewed in M&M rounds and those cases that were submitted but not reviewed. These complications were compared with those extracted from our local ACS NSQIP database. RESULTS A total of 1348 general surgical procedures were performed. The ACS NSQIP captured complications in 143 patients compared with 58 patients identified for review in M&M rounds. Both the methods identified similar proportions of major and minor complications (ACS NSQIP 52% major, 48% minor; M&M 58% major, 42% minor). More postoperative deaths were entered into the ACS NSQIP (12) than in M&M conferences (8 reviewed and 2 submitted). The ACS NSQIP identified higher proportions of surgical site infections and readmissions. However, M&M conferences captured additional complications in patients who did not undergo surgery and identified potential quality issues in patients who did not ultimately experience an adverse outcome. CONCLUSIONS M&M rounds and the ACS NSQIP provide important and potentially complementary data on surgical quality. Incorporating the ACS NSQIP outcomes data into traditional M&M conferences may help to optimize quality improvement efforts.

The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio predicts major perioperative complications in patients undergoing colorectal surgery

The objective of the study was to evaluate the association between the neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and the occurrence of perioperative complications in patients undergoing colorectal surgery.

Comparison of robotic and laparoscopic colorectal resections with respect to 30-day perioperative morbidity.

BACKGROUND Robotic surgery has emerged as a minimally invasive alternative to traditional laparoscopy. Robotic surgery addresses many of the technical and ergonomic limitations of laparoscopic surgery, but the literature regarding clinical outcomes in colorectal surgery is limited. We sought to compare robotic and laparoscopic colorectal resections with respect to 30-day perioperative outcomes. METHODS The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was used to identify all patients who underwent robotic or laparoscopic colorectal surgery in 2013. We performed a logistic regression analysis to compare intraoperative variables and 30-day outcomes. RESULTS There were 8392 patients who underwent laparoscopic colorectal surgery and 472 patients who underwent robotic colorectal surgery. The robotic cohort had a lower incidence of unplanned intraoperative conversion (9.5% v. 13.7%, p = 0.008). There were no significant differences between robotic and laparoscopic surgery with respect to other intraoperative and postoperative outcomes, such as operative duration, length of stay, postoperative ileus, anastomotic leak, venous thromboembolism, wound infection, cardiac complications and pulmonary complications. On multivariable analysis, robotic surgery was protective for unplanned conversion, while male sex, malignancy, Crohn disease and diverticular disease were all associated with open conversion. CONCLUSION Robotic colorectal surgery has comparable 30-day perioperative morbidity to laparoscopic surgery and may decrease the rate of intraoperative conversion in select patients.

The effect of mechanical bowel preparation on anastomotic leaks in elective left-sided colorectal resections.

BACKGROUND Routine preoperative mechanical bowel preparation (MBP) for left-sided colorectal resections remains controversial. This study aims to evaluate the association between MBP and 30-day anastomotic leaks. METHODS A retrospective cohort study was conducted using data from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program from 2011 to 2012. Multiple imputation was used for missing data, and a multivariable logistic regression was performed to adjust for clinically relevant variables. A propensity score-adjusted model was performed as a sensitivity analysis. RESULTS A total of 2,581 patients (57%) received preoperative MBP, whereas 1,935 (43%) did not. The 30-day anastomotic leak rate with and without preoperative MBP was 3.1% and 5.1%, respectively. After covariate adjustment, MBP omission was significantly associated with a 40% increased odds of 30-day anastomotic leaks (odds ratio 1.41, P = .04, 95% confidence interval 1.01 to 1.93). CONCLUSIONS MBP omission was associated with a higher rate of 30-day anastomotic leaks. A large, well-designed, randomized controlled trial is needed to further evaluate this relationship.

Safety of next-day discharge following laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy

BACKGROUND The safety of next-day discharge after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (SG) for the treatment of morbid obesity has not been well studied. The objective of this study was to determine if next-day discharge after laparoscopic SG was comparable to standard discharge (i.e., postoperative day [POD] 2) with respect to the rate of 30-day adverse events. METHODS A retrospective cohort analysis was performed. Patients were selected if they underwent a laparoscopic SG for morbid obesity between 2010 and 2012 and discharged on either POD 1 or 2. The primary outcome was the 30-day adverse event rate, which was a composite endpoint of complications, mortality, or reoperations. A multivariable logistic regression was performed to determine an adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 30-adverse events for next-day discharge. RESULTS There were 2982 (37.4%) and 4985 (62.6%) patients discharged on POD 1 and 2, respectively. Both groups were comparable with respect to clinical characteristics. The adjusted OR for 30-day adverse events with next-day discharge was .75 (P = .08, 95% CI [.55-1.04]). Preoperative hypertension and dyspnea were significant predictors of adverse events for next-day discharge. CONCLUSION Based on data from the ACS-NSQIP registry, laparoscopic SG patients discharged on POD 1 did not have a worse rate of 30-day adverse events compared to the POD 2 group. Appropriate perioperative evaluation may help surgeons implement next-day discharge for select patients after uncomplicated laparoscopic SG.