Rethinking the Barcelona clinic liver cancer guidelines:Intermediate stage and Child-Pugh B patients are suitable for surgery?

According to Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer recommendations,intermediate stage hepatocellular carcinomas(stage B)are excluded from liver resection and are referred to palliative treatment.Moreover,Child-Pugh B patients are not usually candidates for liver resection.However,many hepatobiliary centers in the world manage patients with intermediate stage hepatocellular carcinoma or Child-Pugh B cirrhosis with liver resection,maintaining that hepatic resection is not contraindicated in selected patients with non–early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma and without normal liver function.Several studies demonstrate that resection provides the best survival benefit for selected patients in very early/early and even in intermediate stages of Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer classification,and this treatment gives good results in the setting of multinodular,large tumors in patients with portal hypertension and/or Child-Pugh B cirrhosis.In this review we explore this controversial topic,and we show through the literature analysis how liver resection may improve the short-and long-term survival rate of carefully selected Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer B and Child-Pugh B hepatocellular carcinoma patients.However,other large clinical studies are needed to clarify which patients with intermediate stage hepatocellular carcinoma are most likely to benefit from liver resection.

Artificial intelligence as a future in cancer surgery

Artificial intelligence(AI)is defined as the theory and development of computer systems able to perform tasks normally requiring human intelligence,such as visual perception,speech recognition,and decision-making.Machine learning and deep learning(DL)are subfields of AI that are able to learn from experience in order to complete tasks.AI and its subfields,in particular DL,have been applied in numerous fields of medicine,especially in the cure of cancer.Computer vision(CV)system has improved diagnostic accuracy both in histopathology analyses and radiology.In surgery,CV has been used to design navigation system and robotic-assisted surgical tools that increased the safety and efficiency of oncological surgery by minimizing human error.By learning the basis of AI,surgeons can take part in this revolution to optimize surgical care of oncologic disease.

Robotic surgery in colon cancer: current evidence and future perspectives – narrative review

In the last 10 years,surgery has been developing towards minimal invasiveness;therefore,robotic surgery represents the consequent evolution of laparoscopic surgery.Worldwide,surgeons’performances have been upgraded by the ergonomic developments of robotic systems,leading to several benefits for patients.The introduction into the market of the new Da Vinci Xi system has made it possible to perform all types of surgery on the colon,an in selected cases,to combine interventions in other organs or viscera at the same time.Optimization of the suprapubic surgical approach may shorten the length of hospital stay for patients who undergo robotic colonic resection.From this perspective,single-port robotic colectomy,has reduced the number of robotic ports needed,allowing a better anesthetic outcome and faster recovery.The introduction on the market of new surgical robotic systems from multiple manufacturers is bound to change the landscape of robotic surgery and yield high-quality surgical outcomes.