Pancreatic surgery and tertiary pancreatitis services warrant provision for support from a specialist diabetes team

Pancreatic surgery units undertake several complex operations,albeit with consi-derable morbidity and mortality,as is the case for the management of complicated acute pancreatitis or chronic pancreatitis.The centralisation of pancreatic surgery services,with the development of designated large-volume centres,has contribu-ted to significantly improved outcomes.In this editorial,we discuss the complex associations between diabetes mellitus(DM)and pancreatic/periampullary disease in the context of pancreatic surgery and overall management of complex pancreatitis,highlighting the consequential needs and the indispensable role of specialist diabetes teams in support of tertiary pancreatic services.Type 3c pan-creatogenic DM,refers to DM developing in the setting of exocrine pancreatic disease,and its identification and management can be challenging,while the glycaemic control of such patients may affect their course of treatment and outcome.Adequate preoperative diabetes assessment is warranted to aid identification of patients who are likely to need commencement or escalation of glucose lowering therapy in the postoperative period.The incidence of new onset diabetes after pancreatic resection is widely variable in the literature,and depends on the type and extent of pancreatic resection,as is the case with pancreatic parenchymal loss in the context of severe pancreatitis.Early involvement of a specialist diabetes team is essential to ensure a holistic management.In the current era,large volume pancreatic surgery services commonly abide by the principles of enhanced recovery after surgery,with inclusion of provisions for optimisation of the perioperative glycaemic control,to improve outcomes.While various guidelines are available to aid perioperative management of DM,auditing and quality improvement platforms have highlighted deficiencies in the perioperative management of diabetic patients and areas of required improvement.The need for perioperative support of diabetic patients by specialist diabetes teams is uniformly underlined,a fact that becomes clearly more prominent at all different stages in the setting of pancreatic surgery and the management of complex pancreatitis.Therefore,pancreatic surgery and tertiary pancreatitis services must be designed with a provision for support from specialist diabetes teams.With the ongoing accumulation of evidence,it would be reasonable to consider the design of specific guidelines for the glycaemic management of these patients.

Pancreatitis after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography:A narrative review

Acute post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis(PEP)is a feared and potentially fatal complication that can be as high as up to 30%in high-risk patients.Pre-examination measures,during the examination and after the examination are the key to technical and clinical success with a decrease in adverse events.Several studies have debated on the subject,however,numerous topics remain controversial,such as the effectiveness of prophylactic medications and the amylase dosage time.This review was designed to provide an update on the current scientific evidence regarding PEP available in the literature.

Papillary fistulotomy vs conventional cannulation for endoscopic biliary access:A prospective randomized trial

AIM To compare the cannulation success, biochemical profile, and complications of the papillary fistulotomy technique vs catheter and guidewire standard access.METHODS From July 2010 to May 2017, patients were prospectively randomized into two groups: Cannulation with a catheter and guidewire(Group Ⅰ) and papillary fistulotomy(Group Ⅱ). Amylase, lipase and C-reactive protein at T0, as well as 12 h and 24 h after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, and complications(pancreatitis, bleeding, perforation) were recorded.RESULTS We included 102 patients(66 females and 36 males, mean age 59.11 ± 18.7 years). Group Ⅰ and Group Ⅱ had 51 patients each. The successful cannulation rates were 76.5% and 100%, respectively(P = 0.0002). Twelve patients(23.5%) in Group Ⅰ had a difficult cannulation and underwent fistulotomy, which led to successful secondary biliary access(Failure Group). The complication rate was 13.7%(2 perforations and 5 mild pancreatitis) vs 2.0%(1 patient with perforation and pancreatitis) in Groups Ⅰ and Ⅱ, respectively(P = 0.0597). CONCLUSION Papillary fistulotomy was more effective than guidewire cannulation, and it was associated with a lower profile of amylase and lipase. Complications were similar in both groups.

Trans-anal minimally invasive surgery for rectal neoplasia:Experience from single tertiary institution in China

AIM To evaluate the feasibility and safety of trans-anal minimally invasive surgery(TAMIS) from single institute in China. METHODS A retrospective review was conducted for patients with rectal neoplasia, who underwent TAMIS using single incision laparoscopic surgery-Port from January 2013 till January 2016 by a group of colorectal surgeons from Gastrointestinal Center Unit Ⅲ, Peking University Cancer Hospital. Patients' demographic data, surgical related information, post-operational pathology, as well as perioperative follow-up were all collected. RESULTS Twenty-five patients with rectal neoplasia were identified consequently. Complete full-thickness excision was achieved in all cases without conversion. 22(88%) cases had rectal malignancies [6 were adenocarcinomas and 16 were neuroendocrine tumors(NET)], while 3 patients had adenomas. Mean surgical duration was 61.3 min, and mean post-operative stay were 2.7 d. Post-operational examination demonstrated 5 cases had positive resection margin: 2 adenocarcinoma cases and 1 NET case with positive lateral margin, and the other 2 NET cases with positive basal margin. The curve of operation time for TAMIS cases suggested a minimum of 10 cases for a laparoscopic surgeon proficient withthis technique. CONCLUSION TAMIS was demonstrated to be reproducible and safe,with a relatively short learning process for laparoscopic surgeons in selected cases for rectal neoplasia. Longterm oncological outcome needs to be determined by further investigation.

Cortactin Overexpression Correlates with Poor Prognosis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Objective： To investigate cortactin expression in hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC） and explore its significance in the prognosis of HCC patients. Methods： Immunohistochemistry was performed for paraffin samples of 119 pairs of HCC tissues （HCCs） and paratumorous liver tissues （PTLTs） to evaluate cortactin expression. The cortactin expression difference in HCCs and PTLTs were analyzed by the McNemar＇s test. The relationship of cortactin expressions in HCCs and clinicopathologic factors was analyzed with Mann-Whitney U test. The Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test were employed to compare the overall survival between Cortactin negative expression group, weak expression group and strong expression group. Expression of cortactin was further determined in 19 pairs of fresh HCCs and PTLTs specimens with Western blotting. Results： Cortactin expression rate was significantly higher in HCCs （53/119, 44.5%） than that in PTLTs （2/119, 1.7%） （P〈0.001）. The upregulated cortactin expression in HCCs was significantly correlated to absence of capsule formation （P=0.012）, vascular invasion （P=0.037） and high Edmondson-Steiner grade （P=0.020）, and predicted shorter overall survival. Western blotting demonstrated that cortactin expression was upregulated in 9 out of 19 HCCs （47.4%） compared to corresponding PTLTs. Conclusion： Cortactin expression is upregulated in HCC and is related to shorter overall survival of patients, suggesting that cortactin might play roles in the metastasis of HCC and predict a poor prognosis of HCC patients.

Total neoadjuvant treatment for MRI-stratified high-risk rectal cancer:a single-center,single-arm,prospective Phase II trial(PKUCH-R02)

Background:Induction chemotherapy combined with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy has been recommended for patients with high-risk,locally advanced rectal cancer.However,the benefit of more intensive total neoadjuvant treatment(TNT)is unknown.This study aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of induction chemotherapy combined with chemoradiotherapy and consolidation chemotherapy for magnetic resonance imaging-stratified high-risk rectal cancer.Methods:This was a single-center,single-arm,prospective Phase II trial in Peking University Cancer Hospital(Beijing,China).Patients received three cycles of induction oxaliplatin and capecitabine(CapeOX)followed by chemoradiotherapy and two cycles of consolidation CapeOX.The primary end point was adverse event rate and the second primary end points were 3-year disease-free survival rate,completion of TNT,and pathological downstaging rate.Results:Between August 2017 and August 2018,68 rectal cancer patients with at least one high risk factor(cT3c/3d/T4a/T4b,cN2,mesorectal fascia involvement,or extramural venous invasion involvement)were enrolled.The overall compliance of receiving the entire treatment was 88.2%(60/68).All 68 patients received induction chemotherapy,65 received chemoradiotherapy,and 61 received consolidation chemotherapy.The Grade 3–4 adverse event rate was 30.8%(21/68).Nine patients achieved clinical complete response and then watch and wait.Five patients(7.4%)developed distant metastasis during TNT and received palliative chemotherapy.Fifty patients underwent surgical resection.The complete response rate was 27.9%.After a median follow-up of 49.2 months,the overall 3-year disease-free survival rate was 69.7%.Conclusions:For patients with high-risk rectal cancer,this TNT regimen can achieve favorable survival and complete response rates but with high toxicity.However,it is necessary to pay attention to the possibility of distant metastasis during the long treatment period.