Wontae Cho

Pancreatic serous cystadenocarcinoma with invasive growth into the colon and spleen

Serous cystic neoplasms of the pancreas are almost always benign lesions. However, there are some case reports of malignant serous neoplasms of the pancreas. It is very difficult to distinguish malignant and benign tumors. Indeed, only clinicopathologic findings of locoregional invasion and metastasis represent a malignancy. We report a serous cystadenocarcinoma of the pancreas that was initially considered to be colon cancer. Post-operatively, the tumor was confirmed to be a malignant serous cystic tumor of the pancreas. One year later, the patient remains disease-free.

Bile Duct Reconstruction by a Young Surgeon in Living Donor Liver Transplantation Using Right Liver Graft

AbstractBiliary strictures and bile leaks account for the majority of biliary complications after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). The aim of this study was to examine differences in biliary complications after adult LDLTs were performed by an experienced senior surgeon and an inexperienced junior surgeon. Surgeries included bile duct reconstruction after adult LDLT using a right liver graft, and risk factors for biliary stricture were identified.We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 136 patients who underwent LDLT in order to identify patients who developed biliary complications.The senior surgeon performed 102 surgeries and the junior surgeon performed 34 surgeries. The proportion of patients with biliary stricture was similar between the senior and the junior surgeons (27.5% vs 26.5%; P = 0.911). However, the incidence of biliary leakage was higher in patients of the junior surgeon than in those of the senior surgeon (23.5% vs 2.9%; P = 0.001). The frequency of percutaneous drainage was also higher for the junior surgeon than the senior surgeon because of the junior surgeon’s high leakage rate of the drainage. When the junior surgeon performed bile duct anastomosis, biliary leakage occurred in 7 patients between the 11th and 20th cases. However, biliary leakage occurred in only 1 case thereafter.Bile duct reconstruction performed by beginner surgeons in LDLT using right lobe grafts should be cautiously monitored and observed by a senior surgeon until an inexperienced junior surgeon has performed at least 20 cases, because of the high incidence of biliary leakage related to surgeon’s inexperience in bile duct reconstructions in LDLT.

Combination Therapy of Sirolimus and Sorafenibfor RecurrentHepatocellular Carcinoma after Liver Transplantation

Backgrounds: Sirolimus and sorafenib both have been used in recurrent Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) patients after Liver Transplantation (LT). In the present study, we evaluated the side effects and efficacy of acombination therapy consisting of sirolimus and sorafenib. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients who had recurrent HCC after LT between 2005 and 2012. Toxicity was evaluated by reviewing medical records for each follow-up visit. Efficacy was evaluated according to the modified RECIST guidelines. Results: A total of 24 patients who received combination therapy were reviewed to evaluate drug toxicity. Side effects included hand-foot syndrome (n=12, 50%), diarrhea (n=7, 29.2%), fatigue (n=2, 8.3%), and alopecia (n=1, 4.2%). Among the 24 patients enrolled in this study, 19 were evaluated for efficacy. A complete response was observed in only 1 case (5.3%), while a partial response was observed in 2 cases (10.5%). Five cases (26.3%) showed disease stabilization. The median overall survival after initiation of the combination therapy was 21.6 months. In comparison, 26 recipients with recurrent HCC received non-combination therapy. The median survival of patients receiving a noncombination therapy was 12.0 months. However, there was no statistically significant difference in patient survival rate between the combination and non-combination therapy groups (P=0.101). Conclusion: Combination therapy of sorafenib and sirolimus for recurrent HCC LT recipients may be useful for disease management. However, controlled prospective study is needed to further evaluate the safety and efficacy of combined sorafenib and sirolimus therapy.

A Single Center, Open-label, Randomized Pilot Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of Tacrolimus Modified Release, ADVAGRAF, Versus Tacrolimus Twice Daily, PROGRAF, in Stable Renal Recipients (SINGLE)

BACKGROUND Compliance with immunosuppressive regimens may affect clinical outcomes in renal transplant recipients. The aim of this study was to assess the safety and efficacy of standard-dose tacrolimus modified-release (TAC-MR) once daily versus tacrolimus (TAC) twice daily in stable renal transplant recipients. METHODS Ninety-nine stable renal transplant recipients were randomized to receive standard-dose tacrolimus twice daily or standard-dose modified-release tacrolimus once daily on a 1:1 (mg:mg) basis. The primary end point was the incidence of adverse events (AEs) in both groups. Secondary end points included biopsy-proven acute rejection, graft survival, patient survival, clinical indicators, and change in score of questionnaire. RESULTS The incidence of AEs was not different between the TAC and TAC-MR groups (56.0% vs 53.1%, P > .05). There were no significant differences in mean calculated glomerular filtration rate, blood pressure, glycosylated hemoglobulin (HbA1c), blood concentration of tacrolimus, and drug compliance. The scores of all items in the 36-item short form health survey (SF-36) were not different between groups, except for vitality. With respect to the subject questionnaire, there was no difference in question scores between the two treatment groups. CONCLUSION A regimen of TAC-MR once daily can be considered as an effective and safe alternative formulation of tacrolimus in stable renal transplant patients.

Laparoscopic Liver Resection of Hepatocellular Carcinoma with a Tumor Size Larger Than 5 cm: Review of 45 Cases in a Tertiary Institution

INTRODUCTION Although laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) has developed rapidly, its usefulness for the treatment of large tumors is less clear, due to concerns about compromising oncological principles and patient safety. The purpose of this study was to explore the feasibility and safety of LLR for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with a tumor size larger than 5 cm. PATIENTS AND METHODS From January 2007 to December 2014, we performed LLR in 45 patients with HCC with a tumor size ≥5 cm. Perioperative outcome, tumor recurrence, and overall patient survival were analyzed. RESULTS Median age was 60 years (interquartile range [IQR] 52-68) and 64.4% (29/45) were male. Seven patients (15.6%) had larger than 10 cm of HCC. No operative deaths occurred and six of the laparoscopic procedures were converted to open resection (conversion rate 13.3%). Median operation time was 365 minutes (IQR 277-443) and median estimated blood loss (EBL) was 400.0 mL (IQR 275-600). There was no R1 or R2 resection and median resection margin was 19.0 mm (IQR 8.0-33.0). Complications above Clavien-Dindo classification grade III occurred in four patients (8.9%). The median overall follow-up time was 10.7 month (range 1.1-62.1). One-year recurrence free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were 86.0% and 95.5%, and 3-year RFS and OS were 70.7% and 86.0%. CONCLUSION LLR appears safe and feasible in patients with HCC with a tumor size larger than 5 cm. Expansion of indication for LLR in patients with HCC may be considered.

The prognosis in cases of hepatocellular carcinoma after hepatectomy: young patients versus older patients

Backgrounds/Aims Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is uncommon in young adults and the prognosis of these patients is still unclear. In this retrospective study, we compared the clinicopathological characteristics and outcomes of young patients with HCC with those of older patients with HCC. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the clinicopathological characteristics of a total of 1,124 patients with HCC who underwent hepatectomy at our institution between 2006 and 2010. Patients ≤40 years of age at the time of HCC diagnosis were classified in the younger group. Results One hundred and three patients (9.2%) were classified in the younger group. whereas, 1021 patients were classified in the older group. The incidences of hepatitis B virus infection, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels, and indocyanine green retention test were all higher in younger patients than in older patients (p<0.05). Disease-free survival and overall survival were longer in older patients than in younger patients, without statistical significance. In younger patients, increased levels of protein induced by vitamin K antagonist-II (PIVKA-II) and alkaline phosphatase, portal vein tumor thrombosis, and intrahepatic metastasis were all predisposing factors for tumor recurrence after hepatectomy. Conclusions Although the AFP levels were higher in younger patients with HCC than in older patients with HCC, disease-free survival and overall survival after liver resection were not significantly different between the two groups.

Outcome of total proctocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis for ulcerative colitis

Purpose We evaluated the risk factors for late complications and functional outcome after total proctocolectomy (TPC) with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) for ulcerative colitis (UC). Methods Pre- and postoperative clinical status and follow-up data were obtained for 55 patients who underwent TPC with IPAA between 1999 and 2010. The median follow-up duration was 4.17 years. Late complications were defined as those that appeared at least one month after surgery. For a functional assessment, telephone interviews were conducted using the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale. Twenty-eight patients completed the interview. Results Late complications were found in 20 cases (36.3%), comprising pouchitis (n = 8), bowel obstruction (n = 5), ileitis (n = 3), pouch associated fistula (n = 2), and intra-abdominal infection (n = 2). The preoperative serum albumin level for patients with late complications was lower than for patients without (2.4 ± 0.5 vs. 2.9 ± 0.7, P = 0.04). Functional outcomes were not significantly associated with clinical characteristics, follow-up duration, operation indication, or late complications. Conclusion This study demonstrated that a low preoperative albumin level could be a risk factor for late complications of TPC with IPAA. Preoperative nutritional support, especially albumin, could reduce late complications. Functional outcomes are not related to late complications.

Outcome of partial reconstruction of multiple hepatic arteries in pediatric living donor liver transplantation using left liver grafts

Partial liver grafts used in living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) may have multiple hepatic artery (HA) stumps. This study was designed to validate the safety of partial reconstruction of multiple HAs in pediatric LDLT cases. From January 2000 to June 2014, 136 pediatric LDLT recipients were categorized into three groups: single HA group (Group 1, n = 74), multiple HAs with total reconstruction group (Group 2, n = 23), and multiple HAs with partial reconstruction group (Group 3, n = 39). Partial reconstruction was performed only when there was pulsatile back‐bleeding after larger HA reconstruction and sufficient intrahepatic arterial flow was confirmed by Doppler ultrasound (DUS). There was no significant difference in biliary complication rate, artery complication rate, patient survival, and graft survival among these groups. Risk factor analysis revealed that the presence of multiple HAs and partial reconstruction of multiple HAs were not risk factors of biliary anastomosis stricture. In conclusion, partial reconstruction of HAs during pediatric LDLT using a left liver graft with multiple HA stumps does not increase the risk of biliary anastomosis stricture or affect graft survival when intrahepatic arterial communication is confirmed by pulsatile back‐bleeding and DUS.