Laparoscopic Inferior Mesenteric Artery Peeling: An Alternative to High or Low Vascular Ligation for Sigmoid Colon Cancer Resection

Preserving or peeling the inferior mesenteric arterial sheath during laparoscopic rectal cancer surgery: a prospective study of surgical outcomes

BACKGROUND

We mainly evaluated whether preserving the inferior mesenteric artery (IMA) sheath to dissecting IMA root lymph nodes (also called No.253 lymph nodes) would benefit patients in terms of comparable lymph-node yield removed during operation and postoperative complications in laparoscopic radical resection of rectal cancer.

METHODS

This is a prospective study included 141 rectal cancer patients who received laparoscopic radical resection during September 2018 to December 2020. All patients were randomly assigned to the preserved group (n = 71) and the peeled group (n = 70). The baseline characteristics, pathological features, intraoperative and postoperative data outcomes and complications were analyzed by independent samples t test, chi-square test or Fisher's exact test between the 2 groups.

RESULTS

The baseline characteristic and pathological features had no statistical difference between the 2 groups. The preserved group had a shorter operative time (P = 0.002), a shorter lymph node dissection time (P < 0.001), less intraoperative bleeding (P = 0.004), an earlier time to first flatus (P = 0.013), an earlier time to fluid intake (P = 0.033) and a shorter length of hospitalization (P = 0.012) than the peeled group. The differences between the 2 groups were not statistically significant (P > 0.05) in regard to the total number of lymph nodes cleared, positive lymph nodes, bleeding, anastomotic leakage, pneumonia, wound infection, abscess, ileus, urinary retention, urinary tract infection and chyle leakage.

CONCLUSION

Preserving of the IMA sheath in laparoscopic radical surgery for rectal cancer will reduce the total operation time and the length of hospitalization. This surgical method could lead to lower complication rate and faster recovery.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of The First Affiliated Hospital of Wannan Medical College and registered by the China Clinical Trials Registry (ChiCTR2200060830, Date of Registration:2022-06-12 -retrospective registration) http://www.chictr.org.cn/index.aspx .

Long-term Oncological Results After Laparoscopic Sigmoidectomy for Adenocarcinoma

Purpose: Sigmoidectomy is performed in most cases for benign pathologies and mainly in cases of diverticulitis. Few studies in the literature report oncological results after sigmoidectomy for adenocarcinoma. The aim of this study was to report the long-term oncological outcomes after elective laparoscopic sigmoidectomy (LS) for adenocarcinoma. Methods: This study is a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data. From January 2003 to February 2021, 173 patients underwent elective LS for adenocarcinoma. Twenty-four patients with a diagnosis of preoperative distant metastases were excluded (13.9%). Results: Seven postoperative complications were observed (7.1%). Of these, 2 (2%) anastomotic leakages were treated surgically by the Hartmann procedure (Clavien-Dindo grade III-b). The mean number of harvested lymph nodes with the specimen was 14.2 ± 7.1. At a median follow-up of 115 months (interquartile range 133.8), 2 (2%) and 9 patients (9.2%) had developed recurrence and metastases, respectively. During follow-up, 6 patients (6.1%) with metastases died due to disease progression and 6 other patients (6.1%) died due to causes other than cancer related. At the 5- and 10-year follow-ups, the overall survival rates were 90.5% ± 3.4% and 83.8% ± 4.5%, respectively, while the disease-free survival rates were 87.1% ± 4.1% and 83.5% ± 4.7%, respectively. Conclusion: LS is a safe and feasible technique both in terms of the number of harvested lymph nodes and oncological results. The possibility of sparing the colon without mobilizing the splenic flexure and dividing the left colic artery could reduce intra- and postoperative complications. Further studies with larger samples of patients are required to confirm these data.

Apical lymphadenectomy during low ligation of the IMA during rectosigmoid resection for cancer

Background

Low ligation of the inferior mesenteric artery with preservation of the left colic artery may decrease the risk of colorectal anastomotic ischemia compared to high ligation at its origin. Low ligation leaves apical nodes in situ and is therefore paired with apical lymphadenectomy. We sought to compare relevant oncologic outcomes between high ligation and low ligation plus apical lymphadenectomy in rectosigmoid resection for colorectal cancer.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective cohort study. Patients receiving a rectosigmoid resection for cancer between January 2012 and July 2018 were included. Patients with metastatic disease and those who underwent low ligation without apical lymphadenectomy were excluded. Our primary outcome was nodal yield/metastasis. Secondary outcomes included perioperative complications, local recurrence, and overall survival.

Results

Eighty-four patients underwent high ligation and 89 low ligation plus apical lymphadenectomy (median follow-up 20 months). In the low-ligation group, a median of 2 (interquartile range = 1–3) apical nodes was resected; 4.1% were malignant, increasing pathologic stage in 25% of these patients. There were no differences in nodal yield, complications, anastomotic leak, local recurrence, or overall survival.

Conclusion

No differences were identified between high ligation and low ligation plus apical lymphadenectomy with respect to relevant clinical outcomes. Prospective trial data are needed to robustly establish the oncologic benefit and safety of the low ligation plus apical lymphadenectomy technique.

MicroRNAs differential expression profile in metastatic colorectal cancer: A pilot study with literature review

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Colorectal cancer is still one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide and specific tools to improve disease assessment and treatment response are advocated. The aim of this study was to analyze miRNAs expression in metastatic and non-metastatic colorectal cancer, in order to identify reliable biomarkers suitable for prognosis, treatment and patient's monitoring.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Among 25 patients (mean age 71 ± 12 years; Female/Male: 12/13) submitted to laparoscopic colorectal resection between August 2017 and February 2019, miRNAs were extracted from fresh frozen tissues of solid tumors. Gene expression's analysis arising from microarray technology was performed.

RESULTS

Pathological evaluation identified 15 metastatic patients (8 presenting with stage III and 7 with stage IV cancers) and 10 non-metastatic patients (4 presenting with stage I and 6 stage II cancers). Bioinformatic analysis of solid biopsies revealed 16 miRNAs (11 upregulated and 5 downregulated) differently expressed between metastatic and non-metastatic groups, with three miRNAs (miR-7515, miR-7109-5p and miR-6831-5p) never linked to colorectal cancer before.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study showed an association between miRNAs and metastatic colorectal cancer, suggesting their potential role as biomarkers for tumor management, if confirmed by further studies.