Yosuke Atsumi

An easy and useful exposure technique using a malleable ring for the distal anastomosis in total arch replacement.

Even if the thoracic endovascular aortic repair or open stent grafting technique becomes popular, surgical total arch replacement is still important and will continue to be necessary. Distal anastomosis of total arch replacement is critical in this procedure. This article describes an easy and useful method for using a malleable retractor ring in the distal anastomosis of the total arch replacement.

Clinical implications of ribonucleotide reductase subunit M1 in patients with pancreatic cancer who undergo curative resection followed by adjuvant chemotherapy with gemcitabine

To the best of our knowledge, the clinical implications of using ribonucleoside reductase subunit M1 (RRM1) in patients who undergo curative resection and adjuvant chemotherapy have not been established. In the present study, the clinical data from 101 consecutive patients who underwent macroscopically curative resection, and who received adjuvant gemcitabine chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer at the Kanagawa Cancer Centre (Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan) between April 2005 and December 2014 were retrospectively analyzed. The association between the RRM1 status and survival and clinicopathological features were assessed. Of the 101 patients, 41 patients expressed high levels of RRM1 expression (40.6%). Although a significant difference was observed in lymphatic invasion, there was no difference between the two groups with regard to any other clinicopathological parameters. The median follow-up period was 67.3 months. There was a significant difference between the recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates at 5 years after surgery, which were 12.9 and 0% in the high RRM1 and low RRM1 groups, respectively (P=0.042). Furthermore, there was a significant difference in the 5-year overall survival (OS) rates following surgery, which were 5.1 and 21.5% in the high RRM1 and low RRM1 groups, respectively (P=0.015). The results of the present study indicated that out of the factors assessed, RRM1 was the most important prognostic factor for OS and RFS in patients with pancreatic cancer who underwent curative resection followed by adjuvant chemotherapy with gemcitabine. Adjuvant chemotherapy with gemcitabine alone may be insufficient for the treatment of pancreatic cancer, particularly in patients with relevant risk factors.

Changes in bone metabolism after gastric cancer surgery in men: A prospective observational study.

10Background: Several reports have showed that bone disorders occur after gastric cancer surgery, however there are few studies that compared pre- and postoperative bone mineral density of the same patient. The purpose of this study was to assess changes in bone metabolism after gastric cancer surgery prospectively. Methods: We prospectively enrolled 39 men undergoing gastrectomy for early gastric cancer. We excluded women to avoid the effect of menopause. Patients with severe kidney disease requiring dialysis treatment, patients with severe liver disease and patients with treatment with bisphosphonates or any other bone-active drugs were also excluded. Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) was performed before and 1 and 2 years after surgery to evaluate bone mineral density (BMD). The serum levels of 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D (1,25(OH)2VD), 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)VD), estradiol, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were measured before surgery and every three months until two years after surgery. Results...

Safety and feasibility of enhanced recovery after surgery in the patients underwent distal pancreatectomy for pancreatic cancer

Purpose: This study assessed whether our enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) program for distal pancreatectomy (DP) is safe and feasible. Patients and Methods: The subjects were patients who underwent consecutive DP between 2012 and 2014 at the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Kanagawa Cancer Center. They received perioperative care according to ERAS program. All data were retrieved retrospectively. Outcome measures included postoperative mortality, morbidity, hospitalization, and 30-day readmission rate. Our ERAS program included 12 elements (4 preoperative elements, 3 intraoperative elements, and 5 postoperative elements). Results: A total of 44 patients were studied. The overall incidence of morbidity was 29.5%, the incidence of mortality was 0%, and the incidence of readmission was 0%. Four preoperative elements and 3 intraoperative elements seemed feasible. Among the 5 postoperative elements, 4 elements seemed feasible, accounting 90%< performance rate however the early removal of catheters and drain seemed not feasible. The median postoperative hospital stay was 14 days (range: 8–39 days). The median postoperative hospital stay was 13 days (range: 8–27 days) in patients without postoperative complications while the median postoperative hospital stay was 26 days (range: 14–39 days) in patients with postoperative complications. Conclusion: This study results suggested that our ERAS program is safe and feasible in patients who undergo DP. However, achieving compliance on the postoperative element, especially the removal of catcher and drain, was more challenging.

Survival and the prognosticators of peritoneal cytology-positive pancreatic cancer patients undergoing curative resection followed by adjuvant chemotherapy

Background: The factors associated with the survival and prognosis of peritoneal cytology (CY)-positive pancreatic cancer patients who undergo curative resection followed by adjuvant chemotherapy have not been established. Patients and Methods: Both overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were examined in 23 peritoneal CY-positive pancreatic cancer patients who underwent curative resection followed by adjuvant chemotherapy between 2005 and 2015. Results: When the length of OS was evaluated using a log-rank test, significant differences were observed in the number of metastatic lymph nodes. In addition, univariate and multivariate analyses demonstrated that the number of metastatic lymph nodes was a significant independent risk factor for OS and a marginally significant risk factor for RFS. The 3-year OS rate was 20.2% in patients with ≤8 metastatic lymph nodes, and it was 0% in those with the ≥9 metastatic lymph nodes (P = 0.017). The 3-year RFS rate was 6.3% in patients with ≤8 metastatic lymph nodes, whereas it was 0% in those with ≥9 metastatic lymph nodes (P = 0.062). Conclusions: The number of metastatic lymph nodes is the most important prognostic factor for OS and RFS in peritoneal CY-positive pancreatic cancer patients who underwent curative resection followed by adjuvant chemotherapy. To improve the survival of these patients, it is necessary to establish optimal treatments.

Predictive role of human equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 in patients with pancreatic cancer treated by curative resection and gemcitabine-only adjuvant chemotherapy

The predictive roles of human equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 (hENT-1) in patients who undergo curative resection and adjuvant chemotherapy with gemcitabine alone have not been established. The present study retrospectively analyzed the clinical data from 101 consecutive patients who underwent curative resection and who received gemcitabine adjuvant chemotherapy for the treatment of pancreatic cancer at Kanagawa Cancer Center (Yokohama, Japan) between 2005 and 2014. The associations between the hENT-1 status and the survival and clinicopathological features of the patients were investigated. Of the 101 patients, 60 patients (59.4%) had high levels of hENT-1 expression. A significant association was observed between hENT-1 status and sex; however, for all the other clinicopathological parameters, including tumor and node stages, no differences were observed between the high and low hENT-1 expression groups. The median follow-up period of the present study was 67.3 months. Between the high and low hENT-1 expression groups, there was a statistically significant difference in the 5-year overall survival (OS) rates following surgery (20.6 and 8.9%, respectively; P=0.019). In addition, a significant difference was observed in the recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates at 5 years following surgery (P=0.049). hENT-1 status was one of the important predictive factors for OS and RFS in patients with pancreatic cancer who underwent curative resection followed by adjuvant chemotherapy with gemcitabine. Adjuvant chemotherapy with gemcitabine alone may be insufficient, particularly in patients with certain relevant risk factors.

Clinical implications of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase expression in patients with pancreatic cancer who undergo curative resection with S-1 adjuvant chemotherapy

The predictive roles of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) in patients who undergo curative resection and adjuvant chemotherapy with S-1, which is the oral 5-fluorouracil prodrug tegafur combined with oteracil and gimeracil, remain unclear. In the present study, the clinical data from 66 consecutive patients who underwent curative resection and received adjuvant chemotherapy with S-1 for the treatment of pancreatic cancer at Kanagawa Cancer Center (Yokohama City, Japan) from April 2005 to March 2014 were retrospectively analyzed. The association between the DPD status and the survival and clinicopathological features were investigated. Of the 66 patients, 34 patients exhibited positive DPD expression (51.5%). Although a significant increase in DPD expression in male patients was observed, no significant differences were identified for other clinicopathological parameters, including tumor factor or node factor, between the DPD-positive expression group and the DPD-negative expression group. The median follow-up period of the present study was 29.2 months. There was no significant difference in the 3-year overall survival (OS) rates following surgery, which were 12.6 and 14.5% in the DPD-positive and DPD-negative expression groups, respectively (P=0.352). However, in a subgroup analysis, a significant difference in the 3-year OS rates following surgery was noted, which were 58.9 and 14.5% in the DPD-high and DPD-low expression groups, respectively (P=0.019). The intratumoral DPD expression in curatively resected pancreatic cancer patients treated with S-1 adjuvant chemotherapy was identified to not be useful as a predictive marker, whereas the level of DPD expression is a potential predictive marker. The results of the present study require confirmation in another cohort or in a prospective multicenter study.

Safety and feasibility of enhanced recovery after surgery in the patients underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy for hepatobiliary and pancreatic malignancy.

338 Background: Pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) remains the mainstay of surgical treatment for hepatobiliary and pancreatic malignancy and offers the only chance of long term survival. However, the morbidity and mortality after PD has been reported to be high. Therefore, it is important to determine the most appropriate perioperative care. This study assessed whether enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) program is safe and feasible in patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy Methods: The subjects were patients who underwent consecutive PD between 2012 and 2014 at the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Kanagawa Cancer Center. They received perioperative care according to ERAS program. All data were retrieved retrospectively. Outcome measures included postoperative mortality, morbidity, hospitalization and 30-day readmission rate. Key ERAS program targets were: nasogastric tube (NGT) removal [postoperative day (POD) 1]; resumption of oral fluids (POD 2); urinary catheter removal (POD 3); toleratin...

An Institutional Experience of Introducing an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Program for Pancreaticoduodenectomy

This study assessed whether our enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) program for pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) is safe and feasible. The subjects included 109 consecutive patients who underwent PD...

The Short- and Long-Term Outcomes of Pancreatic Resection for Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma in Patients Older Than 75 Years

The short- and long-term outcomes of pancreatic resection for pancreatic adenocarcinoma have not been fully evaluated in elderly patients. This retrospective study selected patients who underwent curative surgery for pancreatic cancer at our institution. Patients were categorized into 2 groups: nonelderly patients (age < 75 years; group A) and elderly patients (age ≥ 75 years; group B). The surgical morbidity, surgical mortality, overall survival (OS), and recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates in the 2 groups were compared. A total of 221 patients were evaluated in the study. The overall complication rates were 44.8% in group A and 52.6% in group B. Surgical mortality was observed in 2 patients due to an abdominal abscess and cardiovascular disease in group A (1.1%) and in 1 patient due to postoperative bleeding in group B (2.6%). There were no significant differences (P = 0.379 and P = 0.456, respectively). Furthermore, the 5-year OS and RFS rates were similar between the elderly patients and nonelderly p...