Rong-Xing Zhou

Relationship between pancreaticobiliary maljunction and gallbladder carcinoma: a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND Reports on the relationship between pancreaticobiliary maljunction (PBM) and gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) are conflicting. The frequency of PBM in GBC patients and the clinical features of GBC patients with PBM vary in different studies. DATA SOURCES English-language articles describing the association between PBM and GBC were searched in the PubMed and Web of Science databases. Nine case-control studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria and addressed the relevant clinical questions of this analysis. Data were extracted independently by two reviewers using a predefined spreadsheet. RESULTS The incidence of PBM was higher in GBC patients than in controls (10.60% vs 1.76%, OR: 7.41, 95% CI: 5.03 to 10.87, P<0.00001). The proportion of female patients with PBM was 1.96-fold higher than in GBC patients without PBM (80.5% vs 62.9%, OR: 1.96, 95% CI: 1.09 to 3.52, P=0.12). GBC patients with PBM were 10 years younger than those without PBM (SMD: -9.90, 95% CI: -11.70 to -8.10, P<0.00001). And a difference in the incidence of associated gallstone was found between GBC patients with and without PBM (10.8% vs 54.3%, OR: 0.09, 95% CI: 0.05 to 0.17, P<0.00001). Among the GBC patients with PBM, associated congenital dilatation of the common bile duct was present with a higher incidence ranging from 52.2% to 85.7%, and 70.0%-85.7% of them belonged to the P-C type of PBM (the main pancreatic duct enters the common bile duct). No substantial heterogeneity was found and no evidence of publication bias was observed. CONCLUSIONS PBM is a high-risk factor for developing GBC, especially the P-C type of PBM without congenital dilatation of the common bile duct. To prevent GBC, laparoscopic cholecystectomy is highly recommended for PBM patients without congenital dilatation of the common bile duct, especially relatively young female patients without gallstones.

Fast-Track Programs for Liver Surgery: A Meta-Analysis

Background and ObjectivesPlentiful publications have inspected the feasibility of fast-track surgery programs during hepatic surgery, but the potency of these studies has not been discussed profoundly so far. Our goal was to assess the effects of fast-track programs on surgical outcomes compared with traditional surgical plans for liver surgery.MethodsThe following databases were searched: PubMed, Cochrane library, Embase, Science Citation Index Expanded, etc. Studies meeting our inclusion criteria were included. All interrelated data and the methodological quality of included studies were extracted and assessed. We applied risk ratio and weighted mean difference as the estimated effect measures. Sensitivity analysis was performed to perceive the reliability of our findings.ResultsAltogether, 14 studies with 1400 patients were analyzed. Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials demonstrated that implementation of fast-track surgery programs could observably decrease the total length of hospital stay, complication rate, postoperative first flatus time, and hospitalization expense, and did not compromise mortality and readmission rate. The above findings were also in line with the results of case-control studies.ConclusionsFast-track surgery programs are feasible and effective for liver surgery. Future studies should optimize fast-track surgery programs catering to liver surgery.

Coexisting cancers: a mixture of neuroendocrine carcinoma and adenocarcinoma in the gallbladder: A case report.

Background:Neuroendocrine carcinoma is rare with a proportion of less than 2% in gallbladder malignancies, cases of gallbladder neuroendocrine cell carcinoma coexisting with adenocarcinoma are exceptionally rare, and the prognosis is dismal. Methods:Herein, we presented an unusual case of poorly differentiated gallbladder neuroendocrine cell carcinoma coexisting with poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma who survived 20 months after the multimodal treatment (MT) of extended surgery and postoperative chemotherapy. Results:Our result indicated that for advanced gallbladder neuroendocrine cell carcinoma coexisting with adenocarcinoma, MT including extended surgical approach combined with postoperative chemotherapy may contribute to a relatively good survival outcome. Conclusion:MT may contribute to a relatively good survival outcome for advanced gallbladder neuroendocrine cell carcinoma coexisting with gallbladder adenocarcinoma.

Relationship of tumor size with pathological and prognostic factors for hilar cholangiocarcinoma

Objective To determine the correlation of different tumor-size cutoffs with prognostic factors and survival outcomes to provide a reference for the modification of the T-stage classification in the DeOliveira staging system for hilar cholangiocarcinoma (HCCA). Materials and Methods We retrospectively analyzed 216 patients who underwent curative surgery for HCCA (mean tumor diameter, 2.8 cm) between 2000 and 2013. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to assess the correlation of tumor-size cutoffs with various factors. Results Tumor differentiation (odds ratio [OR]: 1.649, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.065–2.555, P = 0.025), node status (OR: 1.971, 95% CI: 1.060–3.664, P = 0.032), resection margin (OR: 2.465, 95% CI: 1.024–5.937, P = 0.044), and hepatectomy (OR: 2.373, 95% CI: 1.226–4.593, P = 0.01) were independently correlated with the 2-cm cutoff, while tumor differentiation (OR: 1.755, 95% CI: 1.062–2.091, P = 0.028), node status (OR: 2.166, 95% CI: 1.054–4.452, P = 0.035), and tumor margin (OR: 2.539, 95% CI: 1.089–5.919, P = 0.031) were independently associated with the 3-cm cutoff. Conclusions The 2-cm and 3-cm cutoffs were strongly correlated with resection margin, node status, tumor differentiation and survival. The 2-cm cutoff may be added to the DeOliveira staging system.

The impact of glucocorticoids for cirrhosis patients performed major liver resection: a retrospective control study.

BACKGROUND/AIMS Research on the influence of pre-operation usage of steroids for liver cirrhosis patients performed major liver resection (=3 segments). METHODOLOGY In total, 741 cirrhosis patients who underwent major hepatectomy (>3 segments) in our medical center were selected for the study. One hundred and five out of 741 patients used 500 mg methylprednisolone between half an hour and one hour before operation and were enrolled in the steroids group. The other 636 patients without steroid injection were assigned in the control group. Our analysis compared the data of bilirubin, ALT, AST, postoperative PT, complications, mortality, IL-6, average length of hospitalization and the like. RESULTS Blood sample test showed level of bilirubin and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and prothrombin time (PT), IL-6 were significantly lower in the steroids group than the control group in the postoperative days. There were no differences of mortality, morbidity and length of stay between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS Methylprednisolone used in preoperative period could degrade the bilirubin and IL-6 level safely and effectively after operation but does not reduce the mortality and the average hospital stay for liver sclerotic patients with normal liver function with slight side effects; it may have positive clinical effects for marginal liver patients.

Effectiveness of additional resection of the invasive cancer-positive proximal bile duct margin in cases of hilar cholangiocarcinoma

Background The survival benefits of additional resection of the positive proximal ductal margin (PM) in hilar cholangiocarcinoma (HCCA) remains controversial. This retrospective study investigated the effectiveness of additional resection of the invasive cancer PM under different levels of preoperative carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9). Methods Patients who underwent hepatectomy for HCCA from 2000 to 2017 were analyzed. Surgical variables, resection margin status, length of the PM (LPM), prognostic factors, and survival were evaluated. Results A total of 228 patients were enrolled: 175 PM(-) without additional resection patients (group A), 21 PM(-) after additional resection (group B), 16 PM(+) without additional resection (group C), and 16 PM(+) after additional resection (group D). The median survival of group B (20.99 months) was similar to that of group A (23.00 months; P=0.16), and both were significantly better than those of group C (11.60 months) and D (9.50 months), especially when preoperative CA19-9>150 U/mL (P<0.05). The survival of patients with an LPM >10 mm was significantly better compared with those with an LPM ≤10 mm, especially when preoperative CA19-9 was >150 U/mL (P<0.05). Only in the LPM >10 mm group, the survival of group B was comparable with that of group A (P>0.05). Conclusions HCCA patients could get a survival benefit from a negative PM resulting from additional resection. Survival could be comparable with that of negative PM without additional resection among HCCA patients. An LPM >10 mm is possibly more associated with better survival compared with whether additional resection of the positive PM is performed under different levels of preoperative CA19-9.

Comparative analysis of different hepatico-jejunostomy techniques for treating adult type I choledochal cyst

Abstract Objective To compare Roux-en-Y hepatico-jejunostomy with complete resection of the cyst or incomplete resection with 1-cm remnant proximal cyst wall in treating adult type I choledochal cyst (CC). Methods The medical records of 267 adult patients with type I CC from January 1998 to December 2015 were reviewed retrospectively. Among them, 171 underwent Roux-en-Y hepatico-jejunostomy with complete resection (PBD 0-cm group) and 96 underwent Roux-en-Y hepatico-jejunostomy with 1-cm proximal cyst wall left (PBD 1-cm group). The short- and long-term post-operative complications were compared between the two groups. Results No significant difference was observed in operative time or anastomotic diameter between the two groups. The incidence of perioperative complications was significantly higher in the PBD 1-cm group than that in the PBD 0-cm group (28.1% vs 14.0%, p=0.005), especially post-operative cholangitis (7.3% vs 1.2%, p=0.021). The incidence of long-term post-operative complications was not significantly different, including anastomotic stricture, reflux cholangitis, intra-hepatic bile duct stones and bile leak (all p >0.05). Post-operative intra-pancreatic biliary malignancy occurred in one patient in the PBD 0-cm group at 25 months and one patient in the PBD 1-cm group at 5 month, respectively. Anatomical site malignancy was observed in one patient in the PBD 1-cm group at 10 months. Conclusion Ease of performing anastomosis does not justify retaining a segment of choledochal cyst in type I CC due to its higher risk of post-operative complication and malignancy. A complete excision of the CC with anastomosis to the healthy proximal bile duct is necessary in treatment of type I CC.

Elevated red blood cell distribution width predicts poor prognosis in hilar cholangiocarcinoma

Background Although the red blood cell distribution width (RDW) has been reported as a reliable predictor of prognosis in several types of cancer, the prognostic value of RDW in hilar cholangiocarcinoma (HC) has not been studied. Methods A retrospective analysis of 292 consecutively recruited HC patients undergoing radical resection was conducted. The optimal cutoff value of RDW was determined by the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). Survival analysis by the Kaplan-Meier method, the difference between the clinico-pathologic variables and survival were evaluated by log-rank analysis. Multivariate analysis identified independent prognostic risk factors of overall survival (OS). Results ROC analysis suggested that the optimal cutoff value for the RDW was 14.95. Linear correlation analysis revealed that RDW is associated with white blood cell count (P = 0.007), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (P = 0.02), and hemoglobin (P < 0.001), albumin (P < 0.001). In a multivariate analysis, the RDW was an independent prognostic factor for OS (HR = 1.755, 95% CI 1.311-2.349, P < 0.001). Conclusions Elevated RDW may be regarded as an indicator of systemic inflammatory response which might facilitate HC growth and metastasis. Current evidence suggests that RDW may have clinical significance in predicting OS after surgery in HC patients.

Puzzle and Challenge in Differentiating Immunoglobulin G4-related Cholangitis from Hilar Cholangiocarcinoma

Under normal conditions, IAC is often misdiagnosed as cholangiocarcinoma because these two diseases share almost the same clinical features. Importantly, IAC is a benign disease that can be treated by steroids, while hilar cholangiocarcinoma is a malignant disease that requires curative surgery. Research has revealed cases of misdiagnosis of IAC with biliary carcinoma who underwent unnecessary invasive surgery.[2] Thus, currently, it is a challenge to differentiate IAC accurately from carcinomas preoperatively and choose the appropriate treatment.

Repair of a common bile duct defect with a decellularized ureteral graft

AIM To evaluate the feasibility of repairing a common bile duct defect with a decellularized ureteral graft in a porcine model. METHODS Eighteen pigs were randomly divided into three groups. An approximately 1 cm segment of the common bile duct was excised from all the pigs. The defect was repaired using a 2 cm long decellularized ureteral graft over a T-tube (T-tube group, n = 6) or a silicone stent (stent group, n = 6). Six pigs underwent bile duct reconstruction with a graft alone (stentless group). The surviving animals were euthanized at 3 mo. Specimens of the common bile ducts were obtained for histological analysis. RESULTS The animals in the T-tube and stent groups survived until sacrifice. The blood test results were normal in both groups. The histology results showed a biliary epithelial layer covering the neo-bile duct. In contrast, all the animals in the stentless group died due to biliary peritonitis and cholangitis within two months post-surgery. Neither biliary epithelial cells nor accessory glands were observed at the graft sites in the stentless group. CONCLUSION Repair of a common bile duct defect with a decellularized ureteral graft appears to be feasible. A T-tube or intraluminal stent was necessary to reduce postoperative complications.