East meets West: the initial results of laparoscopic gastric cancer resections with Eastern principles in a single Western centre - a propensity score-matched study

Laparoscopic and Open Distal Pancreatectomy-An Initial Single-Institution Experience with a Propensity Score Matching Analysis

Laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy is a minimally invasive approach for the surgical treatment of neoplasms in the distal pancreas. This study aimed to compare this approach to the open procedure. A retrospective analysis of a prospectively maintained database of 400 pancreatectomies was performed. The laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy group (LDP) was compared to the open distal pancreatectomy group (ODP). A propensity score matching analysis (PSM) was performed. From 2016 to 2023, 108 distal pancreatectomies were carried out, 19 (17.6%) laparoscopically and 89 (82.4%) openly. The conversion rate was 13.6%. The severe morbidity rates were 28.1% in the ODP group, 47.4% in the LDP group, and 15.8% in the ODP-PSM group. The difference between the latter two was statistically significant (p = 0.034) due to the high rate of Clavien-Dindo grade 3a complications (42.1% versus 10.5%, p = 0.042) in the LDP group. The 90-day mortality rates were 3.3% in the ODP group and 5.3% in the other two groups. The LDP group had a shorter duration of intravenous narcotic analgesia (5 versus 7 days, p = 0.041). There was no difference in the R0 resection or postoperative pancreatic fistula rates. Our attention should be drawn to preventing postoperative complications because the oncological outcomes are already comparable with those of the open procedure, and postoperative pain management is promising.

Does leptin cause proximal gastric cancer in the obese? The role of serum leptin in the etiology of proximal gastric cancer

OBJECTIVES

The aim of the present study was to determine the correlation between obesity, serum levels of leptin and proximal gastric cancer.

METHODS

Sixty-four gastric cancer patients operated on with curative intent were included in the study. We determined the correlation between the preoperative serum levels of leptin and the tumor's location.

RESULTS

Serum leptin levels were correlated significantly with the proximal third location (p=0.04), gastric outlet obstructing tumors (p<0.0001), CRP levels (p=0.03) and BMI (p<0.0001). Patients with high serum levels of leptin had significantly more intestinal types of gastric cancer (p=0.033) and better differentiation (p=0.009). The linear regression model determined the proximal tumor location (beta: 0.467; p=0.045), BMI (beta: 0.657; p=0.001), high preoperative serum albumin (beta: 0.563; p=0.016) and the presence of pyloric stenosis (beta: 0.525; p=0.006) as related significantly to serum leptin levels. The Cox proportional hazard model identified age (HR: 0.003; 95 % CI: 0-0.794; p=0.041), preoperative serum levels of leptin (HR: 0.125; 95 % CI: 0.018-0.887; p=0.037) and the number of extracted LNs (HR: 0.001; 95 % CI: 0-0.677; p=0.038) as independent prognostic factors.

CONCLUSIONS

Serum levels of leptin were significantly elevated in patients with proximal gastric cancer, suggesting that the leptin's effect might be due to its systemic secretion. This might explain the higher incidence of proximal gastric cancer in obese patients. Elevated serum leptin levels were an independent prognostic factor.

Laparoscopic versus Open Surgery for Gastric Cancer in Western Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Short- and Long-Term Outcomes

Background. The advantages of a laparoscopic approach for the treatment of gastric cancer have already been demonstrated in Eastern Countries. This review and meta-analysis aims to merge all the western studies comparing laparoscopic (LG) versus open gastrectomies (OG) to provide pooled results and higher levels of evidence. Methods. A systematic literature search was performed in MEDLINE(PubMed), Embase, WebOfScience and Scopus for studies comparing laparoscopic versus open gastrectomy in western centers from 1980 to 2021. Results. After screening 355 articles, 34 articles with a total of 24,098 patients undergoing LG (5445) or OG (18,653) in western centers were included. Compared to open gastrectomy, laparoscopic gastrectomy has a significantly longer operation time (WMD = 47.46 min; 95% CI = 31.83−63.09; p < 0.001), lower blood loss (WMD = −129.32 mL; 95% CI = −188.11 to −70.53; p < 0.0001), lower analgesic requirement (WMD = −1.824 days; 95% CI = −2.314 to −1.334; p < 0.0001), faster time to first oral intake (WMD = −1.501 days; 95% CI = −2.571 to −0.431; p = 0.0060), shorter hospital stay (WMD = −2.335; 95% CI = −3.061 to −1.609; p < 0.0001), lower mortality (logOR = −0.261; 95% the −0.446 to −0.076; p = 0.0056) and a better 3-year overall survival (logHR 0.245; 95% CI = 0.016−0.474; p = 0.0360). A slight significant difference in favor of laparoscopic gastrectomy was noted for the incidence of postoperative complications (logOR = −0.202; 95% CI = −0.403 to −0.000 the = 0.0499). No statistical difference was noted based on the number of harvested lymph nodes, the rate of major postoperative complication and 5-year overall survival. Conclusions. In Western centers, laparoscopic gastrectomy has better short-term and equivalent long-term outcomes compared with the open approach, but more high-quality studies on long-term outcomes are required.

Open and minimally invasive gastrectomy in Eastern and Western patient populations: A review of the literature and reasons for differences in outcomes

Randomized trials in the East have established minimally invasive gastrectomy as possibly superior for short-term outcomes and noninferior for long-term survival. Smaller randomized studies from Western countries have supported these findings. However, there are marked disparities in morbidity, mortality, and overall survival noted between Eastern and Western studies. In this article, we review the literature comparing open and minimally invasive gastrectomy in the East and West, and describe the possible reasons for differences in outcomes.

The Contribution of the Hunger Hormone Leptin in the Aetiology of Postoperative Anorexia after Laparoscopic and Open Gastrectomy in Gastric Cancer Patients

BACKGROUND

Laparoscopic surgery produces lesser postoperative inflammation with a smaller cytokine and leptin response, and might thus reduce postoperative anorexia compared with open surgery. The aim of the present study was to determine the role of serum leptin in postoperative anorexia after laparoscopic gastric cancer surgery.

METHODS

Fifty-four consecutive patients with adenocarcinoma of the stomach were operated on either with open or laparoscopic surgery. Correlations were determined between the serum levels of leptin, clinico-pathological characteristics, serum haemoglobin, and albumin.

RESULTS

Serum leptin levels on day seven were correlated significantly to gender (p = 0.004), body mass index (BMI) (p = 0.002), and tumour grade (p = 0.033). In the patients with C-reactive protein (CRP) < 100 mg/L (n = 46) the leptin levels on day seven were significantly lower after the laparoscopic operation (p = 0.042) and in patients with lower BMI (p = 0.001). The linear regression model determined a significant correlation between the relative concentration of leptin on day seven and laparoscopic surgery (Beta-0.688; p < 0.0001), gender, BMI, location of the tumour, T stage, N stage, perioperative therapy, tumour grade, perineural invasion, Lauren histological type, and ulceration. In patients with CRP levels below 100 mg/mL, the serum level of albumin on day seven after surgery was significantly higher in patients after laparoscopic surgery.

CONCLUSION

Laparoscopic surgery produced significantly lower relative leptin concentrations on day seven, and higher serum albumin levels in the subgroup with CRP levels below 100 mg/L at discharge. These results suggested that laparoscopic gastric cancer surgery might reduce postoperative leptin response, leading to a better nutritional status at discharge compared with open surgery.