Salvatore Paiella

Pancreatic resections for cystic neoplasms: From the surgeon's presumption to the pathologist's reality

BACKGROUND Current guidelines for the management of pancreatic cystic neoplasms are based on the assumption that these lesions can be classified correctly on the basis of features of cross-sectional imaging. However, a certain degree of overlap between different lesions exists, and little is known about the rate of inaccurate preoperative diagnoses. To address this issue, preoperative and final pathologic diagnoses of patients resected for a presumed pancreatic cystic neoplasm were compared. METHODS Retrospective analysis was undertaken of patients managed operatively between 2000 and 2010. Preoperative workup was reviewed to identify diagnostic pitfalls and potential risk factors for incorrect preoperative characterization of cystic lesions presumed to be neoplastic. RESULTS We analyzed 476 patients. Final pathologic diagnosis matched the preoperative diagnosis in 78% of cases. The highest accuracy was reached for solid pseudopapillary neoplasms (95%) and for main duct/mixed duct intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (81%). Surprisingly, 23 cysts (5%) were found to be ductal adenocarcinoma, whereas 45 patients (9%) underwent a pancreatic resection for a non-neoplastic condition. The use of a routine radiologic workup, including contrast-enhanced ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging, was associated with a favorably correct characterization of the cystic lesion. Endoscopic ultrasonography did not seem to improve diagnostic accuracy. Increased levels of serum carbohydrate antigen (CA)19-9 resulted as risk factors for an incorrect diagnosis as well as for a final diagnosis of a ductal adenocarcinoma. CONCLUSION The overall rate of inaccurate preoperative diagnoses in a tertiary care center with a broad experience in pancreatology approached 22%. Serum CA19-9 is an important complementary tool within the context of preoperative investigation of cystic neoplasms of the pancreas.

Safety and Feasibility of Irreversible Electroporation (IRE) in Patients with Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer: Results of a Prospective Study

Purpose: To evaluate the safety of the NanoKnife Low Energy Direct Current (LEDC) System (Irreversible Electroporation, IRE) in order to treat patients with unresectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Methods: Prospective, nonrandomized, single-center clinical evaluation of ten patients with a cytohystological diagnosis of unresectable locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC) that was no further responsive to standard treatments. The primary outcome was the rate of procedure-related abdominal complications. The secondary endpoints included the evaluation of the short-term efficacy of IRE through the evaluation of tumor reduction at imaging and biological tumor response as shown by CA 19-9, clinical assessments and patient quality of life. Results: Ten patients (5 males, 5 females) were enrolled, with a median age of 66 and median tumor size of 30 mm. All patients were treated successfully with a median procedure time of 79.5 min. Two procedure-related complications were described in one patient (10%): a pancreatic abscess with a pancreoduodenal fistula. Three patients had early progression of disease: one patient developed pulmonary metastases 30 days post-IRE and two patients had liver metastases 60 days after the procedure. We registered an overall survival of 7.5 months (range: 2.9-15.9). Conclusions: IRE is a safe procedure in patients with LAPC and may represent a new technological option in the treatment and multimodality management of this disease.

Local Ablative Strategies for Ductal Pancreatic Cancer (Radiofrequency Ablation, Irreversible Electroporation): A Review.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has still a dismal prognosis. Locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC) accounts for the 40% of the new diagnoses. Current treatment options are based on chemo- and radiotherapy regimens. Local ablative techniques seem to be the future therapeutic option for stage-III patients with PDAC. Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) and Irreversible Electroporation (IRE) are actually the most emerging local ablative techniques used on LAPC. Initial clinical studies on the use of these techniques have already demonstrated encouraging results in terms of safety and feasibility. Unfortunately, few studies on their efficacy are currently available. Even though some reports on the overall survival are encouraging, randomized studies are still required to corroborate these findings. This study provides an up-to-date overview and a thematic summary of the current available evidence on the application of RFA and IRE on PDAC, together with a comparison of the two procedures.

Solid pseudopapillary tumors of the pancreas: Specific pathological features predict the likelihood of postoperative recurrence

Since their introduction in the WHO classification, the incidence of solid pseudopapillary tumors (SPTs) of the pancreas has progressively increased, mainly because of the widespread use of cross‐sectional imaging. Few recent studies have analyzed the biological behavior of SPTs, but reliable data on long‐term follow‐up are needed.

Perioperative management of patients undergoing pancreatic resection: Implementation of a care plan in a tertiary‐care center

Evidence‐based perioperative management is important for a successful outcome after pancreatic surgery. Use of protocolized pathways of care based on fast‐track concepts has been shown to reduce hospital stay and contain costs. These regimens include pain control, early device removal (nasogastric tube, abdominal drains), enforced early mobilization, and early oral feeding. In this article, current evidence on perioperative management of pancreatic resections was analyzed in the attempt to implement our institutional care plan. J. Surg. Oncol. 2013;107:51–57.

Minimally invasive pancreatic surgery – a review

During the past 20 years the application of a minimally invasive approach to pancreatic surgery has progressively increased. Distal pancreatectomy is the most frequently performed procedure, because of the absence of a reconstructive phase. However, middle pancreatectomy and pancreatoduodenectomy have been demonstrated to be safe and feasible as well. Laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy is recognized as the gold standard treatment for small tumors of the pancreatic body-tail, with several advantages over the traditional open approach in terms of patient recovery. The surgical treatment of lesions of the pancreatic head via a minimally invasive approach is still limited to a few highly experienced surgeons, due to the very challenging resection and complex anastomoses. Middle pancreatectomy and enucleation are indicated for small and benign tumors and offer the maximum preservation of the parenchyma. The introduction of a robotic platform more than ten years ago increased the interest of many surgeons in minimally invasive treatment of pancreatic diseases. This new technology overcomes all the limitations of laparoscopic surgery, but actual benefits for the patients are still under investigation. The increased costs associated with robotic surgery are under debate too. This article presents the state of the art of minimally invasive pancreatic surgery.

Variation of tumoral marker after radiofrequency ablation of pancreatic adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND To evaluate the correlation between variations of CA 19.9 blood levels and the entity of necrosis at CT after radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of unresectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma. METHODS In this study, from June 2010 to February 2014, patients with diagnosis of unresectable and not metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, expressing tumor marker CA 19.9, treated with RFA procedure were included. All these patients underwent RFA. CT study was performed 1 week after RFA. The dosage of CA 19.9 levels was performed 1 month after RFA. Features of necrosis at CT, as mean entity, density and necrosis percentages compared to the original lesion, were evaluated and compared by using t-test with CA 19.9 blood levels variations after RFA procedure. RESULTS In this study were included 51 patients with diagnosis of unresectable and not metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, expressing tumor marker CA 19.9, treated with RFA procedure and with CT study and CA 19.9 available for analysis. After the procedure, CA 19.9 blood levels reduced in 24/51 (47%), remained stable in 10/51 (20%) and increased in 17/51 (33%). In patients with CA 19.9 levels reduced, the tumor marker were reduced less than 20% in 4/24 (17%) and more than 20% in 20/24 (83%); instead the tumor marker were reduced less than 30% in 8/24 (33%) and more than 30% in 16/24 (67%). At CT scan necrotic area density difference was not statistically significant. Also there was no statistically significant difference among the mean area, the mean volume and the mean ablation volume in percentage related to the treated tumor among the three different groups of patients divided depending on the CA 19.9 blood levels. But a tendency to a statistically significant difference was found in comparing the mean percentage of ablation volume between two subgroups of patients with a decrease of CA 19.9 levels with less or more than 20% reduction of tumor markers and between two subgroups with less or more than 30% reduction of CA 19.9 levels. CONCLUSIONS RFA of unresectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma induces reduction of CA 19.9 blood levels in about half of the cases.

Percutaneous Radiofrequency Ablation of Unresectable Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer: Preliminary Results

Aim: The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of percutaneous radiofrequency ablation of locally advanced pancreatic cancer located in the pancreatic body. Materials and Methods: Patients with biopsy-proven locally advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma were considered for percutaneous radiofrequency ablation. Postprocedural computed tomography studies and Ca19.9 tumor marker evaluation were performed at 24 hours and 1 month. At computed tomography, treatment effect was evaluated by excluding the presence of complications. The technical success of the procedure is defined at computed tomography as the achievement of tumoral ablated area. Results: Twenty-three patients have been included in the study. Five of the 23 patients were excluded. At computed tomography, the mean size of the intralesional postablation necrotic area was 32 mm (range: 15-65 mm). Technical success of the procedure has been obtained in 16 (93%) of the 18 cases. None of the patients developed postprocedural complications. Mean Ca19.9 serum levels 1 day before, 1 day after, and 1 month after the procedure were 285.8 U/mL (range: 16.6-942.0 U/mL), 635.2 U/mL (range: 17.9-3368.0 U/mL), and 336.0 U/mL (range: 7.0-1400.0 U/mL), respectively. Follow-up duration was less than 6 months for 11 patients and more than 6 months for 7 patients. At the time of the draft of this article, the mean survival of the patients included in the study was 185 days (range: 62-398 days). Conclusion: Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation of locally advanced adenocarcinoma has a high technical success rate and is effective in cytoreduction both at imaging and laboratory controls.

Pancreatectomy with venous resection for pT3 head adenocarcinoma: Perioperative outcomes, recurrence pattern and prognostic implications of histologically confirmed vascular infiltration

BACKGROUND The outcomes of pancreatectomy with superior mesenteric vein (SMV) or portal vein (PV) resection have been mixed. This study investigated the morbidity and mortality profile after SMV-PV resection in comparison with standard pancreatectomy. Furthermore, we assessed whether tumors with histologically proven SMV-PV infiltration differ from other pT3 neoplasms in terms of recurrence pattern and survival. METHODS All patients with a pT3 head adenocarcinoma resected from 2000 to 2013 were analyzed retrospectively. In the SMV-PV resection group, information on venous wall status was obtained through pathologic reports. Standard statistical methods were used for data analysis. RESULTS The study population consisted of 651 patients, of whom 81 (12.4%) underwent synchronous SMV-PV resection. Venous resection was not associated with a higher rate of postoperative complications (60.5% versus 50.2%) and mortality (1.2% versus 1.1%) in comparison with standard pancreatectomy. Vascular infiltration was confirmed pathologically in 56/81 patients (69.1%). The median disease-specific survival of the entire population was 27 months (95% CI 24.6-29.3), with a 5-year survival rate of 20.5%. The median recurrence-free survival was 18 months (95% CI 15.0-20.9). On multivariate analysis, ASA score, preoperative pain, Ca 19-9 levels, tumor grade, R-status, lymph-vascular invasion, N-status, and adjuvant therapy resulted to be survival predictors. Similarly, Ca 19.9 levels, R-status, and N-status were predictors of recurrence. SMV-PV infiltration was not a significant prognostic factor. CONCLUSION Morbidity and mortality rates of pancreatectomy with SMV-PV resection are comparable with standard pancreatectomy. Pancreatic head adenocarcinoma with histologically confirmed SMV-PV infiltration does not segregate prognostically from other pT3 tumors.

Percutaneous ablation of pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is a highly aggressive tumor with an overall 5-year survival rate of less than 5%. Prognosis and treatment depend on whether the tumor is resectable or not, which mostly depends on how quickly the diagnosis is made. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy can be both used in cases of non-resectable pancreatic cancer. In cases of pancreatic neoplasm that is locally advanced, non-resectable, but non-metastatic, it is possible to apply percutaneous treatments that are able to induce tumor cytoreduction. The aim of this article will be to describe the multiple currently available treatment techniques (radiofrequency ablation, microwave ablation, cryoablation, and irreversible electroporation), their results, and their possible complications, with the aid of a literature review.