Radioactive ^125I seed implantation for locally advanced pancreatic cancer:A retrospective analysis of 50 cases

BACKGROUND Pancreatic cancer is one of the common malignant tumors of the digestive system,and radical resection is the first choice of treatment for pancreatic cancer.If patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer cannot be treated in time and effectively,their disease often develops rapidly and their survival period is very short.AIM To evaluate the therapeutic effect of ^125I seed implantation in patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer.METHODS The demographics and perioperative outcomes of a consecutive series of patients who underwent ^125I seed implantation to treat locally advanced pancreatic cancer between January 1,2017 and June 30,2019 were retrospectively analyzed.According to the results of preoperative computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging,the treatment planning system was used to determine the area and number of ^125I seeds implanted.During the operation,^125I seeds were implanted into the tumor under the guidance of intraoperative ultrasound,with a spacing of 1.5 cm and a row spacing of 1.5 cm.For patients with obstructive jaundice and digestive tract obstruction,choledochojejunostomy and gastroenterostomy were performed simultaneously.After operation,the patients were divided into a non-chemotherapy group and a chemotherapy group that received gemcitabine combined with albumin-bound paclitaxel treatment.RESULTS Among the 50 patients,there were 29 males and 21 females,with a mean age of 56.9±9.8 years.The main reason for the failure of radical resection was superior mesenteric artery invasion(37,74%),followed by superior mesenteric vein invasion(33,66%).Twenty-one(62%)patients underwent palliative surgery and postoperative pain relief occurred in 40(80%)patients.The estimated blood loss in operation was 107.4±115.3 mL and none of the patient received blood transfusion.The postoperative hospital stay was 7.5±4.2 d;one patient had biliary fistula and three had pancreatic fistula,all of whom recovered after conservative treatment.After operation,26 patients received chemotherapy and 24 did not.The 1-year survival rate was significantly higher in patients who received chemotherapy than in those who did not(60.7%vs 35.9%,P=0.034).The mean overall survival of patients of the chemotherapy group and nonchemotherapy group was 14 and 11 mo,respectively(χ^2=3.970,P=0.046).CONCLUSION Radioactive ^125I seed implantation combined with postoperative chemotherapy can prolong the survival time,relieve pain,and improve the quality of life of patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer.

Radioactive 125I seed implantation for pancreatic cancer with unexpected liver metastasis:A preliminary experience with 26 patients

BACKGROUND Preoperative diagnosis rate of pancreatic cancer has increased year by year.The prognosis of pancreatic cancer patients with unexpected liver metastasis found by intraoperative exploration is very poor,and there is no effective and unified treatment strategy.AIM To evaluate the therapeutic effect of radioactive 125I seed implantation for pancreatic cancer patients with unexpected liver metastasis.METHODS The demographics and perioperative outcomes of patients who underwent 125I seed implantation to treat pancreatic cancer with unexpected liver metastasis between January 1,2017 and June 1,2019 were retrospectively analyzed.During the operation,125I seeds were implanted into the pancreatic tumor under the guidance of intraoperative ultrasound,with a spacing of 1.5 cm and a row spacing of 1.5 cm.For patients with obstructive jaundice and digestive tract obstruction,choledochojejunostomy and gastroenterostomy were performed simultaneously.After operation,the patients were divided into a non-chemotherapy group and a chemotherapy group that received gemcitabine combined with albumin-bound paclitaxel treatment.RESULTS Preoperative imaging evaluation of all patients in this study showed that the tumor was resectable without liver metastasis.There were 26 patients in this study,including 18 males and 8 females,aged 60.5±9.7 years.The most common tumor site was the pancreatic head(17,65.4%),followed by the pancreatic neck and body(6,23.2%)and pancreatic tail(3,11.4%).Fourteen patients(53.8%)underwent palliative surgery and postoperative pain relief occurred in 22 patients(84.6%).The estimated blood loss in operation was 148.3±282.1 mL and one patient received blood transfusion.The postoperative hospital stay was 7.6±2.8 d.One patient had biliary fistula,one had pancreatic fistula,and all recovered after conservative treatment.After operation,7 patients received chemotherapy and 19 did not.The 1-year survival rate was significantly higher in patients who received chemotherapy than in those who did not(68.6%vs 15.8%,P=0.012).The mean overall survival of patients in the chemotherapy group and non-chemotherapy group was 16.3 mo and 10 mo,respectively(χ2=7.083,P=0.008).CONCLUSION Radioactive 125I seed implantation combined with postoperative chemotherapy can prolong the survival time and relieve pain of pancreatic cancer patients with unexpected liver metastasis.