Peritoneal dissemination of pancreatic cancer caused by endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration:A case report and literature review

BACKGROUND Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration(EUS-FNA)is a biopsy technique widely used to diagnose pancreatic tumors because of its high sensitivity and specificity.Although needle-tract seeding caused by EUS-FNA has been recently reported,dissemination of pancreatic cancer cells is generally considered to be a rare complication that does not affect patient prognosis.However,the frequency of dissemination and needle-tract seeding appears to have been underestimated.We present a case of peritoneal dissemination of pancreatic cancer due to preoperative EUS-FNA.CASE SUMMARY An 81-year-old man was referred to the Department of Surgery of our hospital in Japan owing to the detection of a pancreatic mass on computed tomography during medical screening.Trans-gastric EUS-FNA revealed that the mass was an adenocarcinoma;hence laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy with lymphadenectomy was performed.No intraoperative peritoneal dissemination and liver metastasis were visually detected,and pelvic lavage cytology was negative for carcinoma cells.The postoperative surgical specimen was negative for carcinoma cells at the dissected margin and the cut end margin;however,pathological findings revealed adenocarcinoma cells on the peritoneal surface proximal to the needle puncture site,and the cells were suspected to be disseminated via EUSFNA.Hence,the patient received adjuvant therapy with S-1(tegafur,gimeracil,and oteracil potassium);however,computed tomography performed 5 mo after surgery revealed liver metastasis and cancerous peritonitis.The patient received palliative therapy and died 8 mo after the operation.CONCLUSION The indications of EUS-FNA should be carefully considered to avoid iatrogenic dissemination,especially for cancers in the pancreatic body or tail.

Superiority of urgent vs early endoscopic hemostasis in patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding with high-risk stigmata

Background Guidelines recommend that all patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding(UGIB)undergo endoscopy within 24 h.It is unclear whether a subgroup may benefit from an urgent intervention.We aimed to evaluate the influence of endoscopic hemostasis and urgent endoscopy on mortality in UGIB patients with high-risk stigmata(HRS).Methods Consecutive patients with suspected UGIB were enrolled in three Japanese hospitals with a policy to perform endoscopy within 24 h.The primary outcome was 30-day mortality.Endoscopic hemostasis and endoscopy timing(urgent,6h;early,>6h)were evaluated in a regression model adjusting for age,systolic pressure,heart rate,hemoglobin,creatinine,and variceal bleeding in multivariate analysis.A propensity score of 1:1 matched sensitivity analysis was also performed.Results HRS were present in 886 of 1966 patients,and 35 of 886(3.95%)patients perished.Median urgent-endoscopy time(n=769)was 3.0h(interquartile range[IQR],2.0–4.0 h)and early endoscopy(n紏117)was 12.0h(IQR,8.5–19.0 h).Successful endoscopic hemostasis and urgent endoscopy were significantly associated with reduced mortality in multivariable analysis(odds ratio[OR],0.22;95%confidence interval[CI],0.09–0.52;P=0.0006,and OR,0.37;95%CI,0.16–0.87;P=0.023,respectively).In a propensity-score-matched analysis of 115 pairs,adjusted comparisons showed significantly lower mortality of urgent vs early endoscopy(2.61%vs 7.83%,P<0.001).Conclusions A subgroup of UGIB patients,namely those harboring HRS,may benefit from endoscopic hemostasis and urgent endoscopy rather than early endoscopy in reducing mortality.Implementing triage scores that predict the presence of such lesions is important.