Adjuvant surgical therapy for patients with initially-unresectable pancreatic cancer with long-term favorable responses to chemotherapy. J Hepatobiliary Pancreat Sci. 2011;18:712-716. [PMID: 21455748 DOI: 10.1007/s00534-011-0391-8]

Efficacy of Conversion Surgery for Initially Unresectable Biliary Tract Cancer That Has Responded to Down-Staging Chemotherapy

BACKGROUND

Due to the limited efficacy of chemotherapy alone in the treatment of unresectable biliary tract cancer, we performed conversion surgery in patients with unresectable biliary tract cancer who responded to down-staging chemotherapy.

METHODS

Patients with unresectable biliary tract cancer who initiated chemotherapy between 2007 and 2018 were included in this study. We evaluated the short- and long-term outcomes of patients with initially unresectable biliary tract cancer who underwent conversion surgery.

RESULTS

A total of 101 patients with unresectable biliary tract cancers treated with chemotherapy were eligible for the present study. A total of 20 patients eventually underwent conversion surgery; these patients had locally advanced disease in 6 cases, liver metastasis in 6 cases, para-aortic lymph node metastasis in 5 cases, and peritoneal dissemination in 3 cases. The mean operative time was 823 min, and the mean intraoperative blood loss was 1902 mL. Histological R0 resections were performed in 17 patients. Postoperative complications of Clavien-Dindo grade IIIa or higher occurred in 10 patients, with no surgery-associated deaths. The 5-year survival rate was significantly higher in patients who underwent conversion surgery (65.0%) than in those who did not (4.3%, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Conversion surgery for initially unresectable biliary tract cancer resulted in favorable overall survival and was safely performed despite its high surgical invasiveness. Conversion surgery for an initially unresectable biliary tract cancer is worth considering.

Clinical Outcomes of Conversion Surgery after FOLFIRINOX in Patients with Unresectable Advanced Pancreatic Cancer: A Retrospective Cohort Study at a Single Center

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal cancers. To improve its prognosis, conversion surgery for initially unresectable advanced pancreatic cancer (UAPC) after chemotherapy has been reported in recent years. Methods: A retrospective analysis of the patients with initially UAPC underwent conversion surgery after the first-line modified FOLFIRINOX (mFX) was conducted at a single tertiary care center between January 2014 and March 2020. Results: Among 79 patients with UAPC who had mFX, 8 patients with a median age of 63 years, including 5 males (3 with locally advanced and 5 metastatic lesions), underwent conversion surgery after a median of 20 cycles of mFX. Conversion surgery was performed in 10.1% of patients (8/79) and surgical resection was successful in all with R0 resection. Postoperative major adverse events were seen in 2 patients, but no perioperative deaths were recognized. Recurrence was confirmed in 3 patients, and these 3 patients died due to cancer recurrence in 17.7, 30.6 and 57.8 months after mFX initiation. 5 patients were still alive without recurrence. The median OS in the patients who underwent conversion surgery was estimated as 65.9 months and was significantly longer than that of the patients without conversion surgery or that in the patients who had a partial response for mFX but did not have conversion surgery. The median follow-up period for the patients who had conversion surgery was 35.2 months. Conclusion: Conversion surgery achieved long-term survival in patients with UAPC who were treated with the first-line mFX, although controversy still remained.

Clinical Benefits of Conversion Surgery for Unresectable Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma: A Single-Institution, Retrospective Analysis

BACKGROUND

Unresectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (UR-PDAC) has a poor prognosis. Conversion surgery is considered a promising strategy for improving the prognosis of UR-PDAC. This study aimed to investigate the clinical benefits of conversion surgery in patients with UR-PDAC.

METHODS

We retrospectively evaluated patients with PDAC who were referred to our department for possible surgical resection between January 2006 and December 2019. Conversion surgery was performed only in patients with UR-PDAC who could expect R0 resection. We analyzed the prognostic factors for overall survival among patients who underwent conversion surgery.

RESULTS

Overall, 638 patients with advanced pancreatic cancer were enrolled in this study. According to resectability, resectable cancer (R) was present in 180 patients, borderline resectable cancer (BR) was present in 60 patients, unresectable locally advanced cancer (UR-LA) was present in 252 patients, and unresectable cancer with distant metastasis (UR-M) was present in 146 patients. Conversion surgery was performed in 20 of the 398 UR cases (5.1%). The median period between the initial therapy and conversion surgery was 15.5 months. According to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) evaluation, the treatment response was CR in one patient, PR in 13, SD in five, and PD in one. Downstaging was pathologically determined in all cases. According to the Evans grading system, grade I was observed in four patients (20%), grade IIb was observed in seven (35%), III was observed in seven (35%), and IV was observed in two (10%). We compared the overall survival period from initial treatment among patients undergoing conversion surgery; the median overall survival durations in the conversion surgery, R, BR, UR-LA, and UR-M groups were 73.7, 32.7, 22.7, 15.7, and 8.8 months, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that the presence or absence of chemoradiotherapy (CRT) and the RECIST partial response (PR)/complete response (CR) for the main tumor were statistically significant prognostic factors for overall survival among patients undergoing conversion surgery (p = 0.004 and 0.03, respectively).

CONCLUSION

In UR-PDAC, it is important to perform multidisciplinary treatment, including CRT with conversion surgery.

Role of Conversion Surgery for Unresectable Pancreatic Cancer After Long-Term Chemotherapy

BACKGROUND

Unresectable pancreatic cancer (UR-PC) has a poor prognosis. Although conversion surgery has been considered a promising strategy for improving prognosis in UR-PC, the clinical benefit offered to patients with UR-PC remains controversial. This study aimed to investigate the clinical benefits of conversion surgery in patients with UR-PC.

METHODS

We evaluated patients with UR-PC referred to our department for possible surgical resection between January 2008 and June 2017. Resectability was evaluated using multimodal imaging in patients who underwent chemotherapy for more than 6 months. Conversion surgery was performed only in patients who were judged eligible for R0 resection.

RESULTS

In total, 90 patients were evaluated. Among them, only 22 (24.4%) could actually undergo conversion surgery, and the R0 resection rate was 72.7% (16/22). Although Evans grade ≥ IIB was noted in six patients (27.3%), none achieved complete response (CR). The median survival time was significantly longer among patients who underwent conversion surgery than in the unresected patients who underwent chemotherapy (21.3 months vs. 12.6 months; p < 0.001). Multivariate and Kaplan-Meier analyses revealed microvascular invasion to have a significant adverse effect on recurrence-free survival (RFS: 7 months vs. not reached, p = 0.004) and overall survival (OS: 21 months vs. 85 months, p = 0.047).

CONCLUSIONS

After long-term chemotherapy, conversion surgery for UR-PC is associated with long-term survival. Microvascular invasion is predictive of poor prognosis in these patients; adjuvant protocols are therefore needed for patients with microvascular invasion.

Conversion Therapy for Advanced Pancreatic Cancer: The Case Series and Literature Review

Background

Pancreatic cancer has a high incidence and mortality. Most patients are in an advanced stage at the time of initial diagnosis and cannot be cured by a single surgery. The ASCO clinical practice guideline emphasized the overall management and multidisciplinary comprehensive treatment which put forward the concept of conversion therapy. In this paper, the real-world observation and study were carried out to explore the conversion effect of chemotherapy in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer and their long-term survival.

Methods

The subjects of this study are advanced pancreatic cancer patients who visited the oncology department of Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital from 2015 to 2019. Collected and summarized the cases, and selected 5 representative patients for analysis, all of them received standard treatment (FOLFIRINOX, AS, AG, or GS). The progress, clinical evaluation, adverse reactions, and prognosis of these patients after conversion therapy were analyzed and discussed in conjunction with relevant literature.

Results

Five patients with advanced pancreatic cancer received conversion therapy with an average survival time of 29.8 months, two of them received surgical treatment, and postoperative evaluations were pathological complete response (pCR). The tolerance of chemotherapy was good in five patients, and no serious adverse reactions of grade 3 or 4 occurred.

Conclusion

Conversion therapy for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer strives for surgical opportunities of radical resection, prolongs survival and improves quality of life.

Combined resection of the hepatic artery without reconstruction in pancreaticoduodenectomy: a case report of pancreatic cancer with an aberrant hepatic artery

Background

Pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) is rarely performed for pancreatic cancer with hepatic arterial invasion owing to its poor prognosis and high surgical risks. Although there has been a recent increase in the reports of PD combined with hepatic arterial resection due to improvements in disease prognosis and operative safety, PD with major arterial resection and reconstruction is still considered a challenging treatment.

Case presentation

A 61-year-old man with back pain was diagnosed with pancreatic head and body cancer. Although distant metastasis was not confirmed, the tumor had extensively invaded the hepatic artery; therefore, we diagnosed the patient with locally advanced unresectable pancreatic cancer. After gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel (GnP) therapy, the tumor considerably decreased in size from 35 to 20 mm. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a gap between the tumor and the hepatic artery. Tumor marker levels returned to their normal range, and we decided to perform conversion surgery. In this case, an artery of liver segment 2 (A2) had branched from the left gastric artery; therefore, we decided to preserve A2 and perform PD combined with hepatic arterial resection without reconstruction. After four cycles of GnP therapy, we performed hepatic arterial embolization to prevent postoperative ischemic complications prior to surgery. Immediately after embolization, collateral arterial blood flow to the liver was observed. Operation was performed 19 days after embolization. Although there was a temporary increase in liver enzyme levels and an ischemic region was found near the surface of segment 8 of the liver after surgery, no liver abscess developed. The postoperative course was uneventful, and S-1 was administered for a year as adjuvant chemotherapy. The patient is currently alive without any ischemic liver events and cholangitis and has not experienced recurrence in the past 4 years since the surgery.

Conclusions

In PD for pancreatic cancer with hepatic arterial invasion, if a part of the hepatic artery is aberrant and can be preserved, combined resection of the common and proper hepatic artery without reconstruction might be feasible for both curability and safety.

Benefits of Conversion Surgery after Multimodal Treatment for Unresectable Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

Traditionally, the treatment options for unresectable locally advanced (UR-LA) and metastatic (UR-M) pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) are palliative chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy. The benefits of surgery for such patients remains unknown. The present study investigated clinical outcomes of patients undergoing conversion surgery (CS) after chemo(radiation)therapy for initially UR-PDAC.

METHODS

We recruited patients with UR-PDAC who underwent chemo(radiation)therapy for initially UR-PDAC between April 2006 and September 2017. We analyzed resectability of CS, predictive parameters for overall survival, and early recurrence (within six months).

RESULTS

A total of 468 patients (108 with UR-LA and 360 with UR-M PDAC) were enrolled in this study, of whom, 17 (15.7%) with UR-LA and 15 (4.2%) with UR-M underwent CS. The median survival time (MST) and five-year survival of patients who underwent CS was 37.2 months and 34%, respectively; significantly better than non-resected patients (nine months and 1%, respectively, p < 0.0001). MST did not differ according to UR-LA or UR-M (50.5 vs. 29.0 months, respectively, p = 0.53). Early recurrence after CS occurred in eight patients (18.8%). Lymph node metastasis, positive washing cytology, large tumor size (>35 mm), and lack of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy were statistically significant predictive factors for early recurrence. Moreover, the site of pancreatic lesion and administration of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy were statistically significant prognostic factors for overall survival in the patients undergoing CS.

CONCLUSION

Conversion surgery offers benefits in terms of increase survival for initially UR-PDAC for patients who responded favorably to chemo(radiation)therapy when combined with postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy.

Conversion surgery for initially unresectable biliary malignancies: a multicenter retrospective cohort study

PURPOSE

Few studies have focused on conversion surgery for biliary malignancy; thus, it is not clear if this treatment modality can extend the survival of patients with unresectable biliary malignancy. We conducted a multicenter retrospective cohort study to evaluate the surgical outcomes of conversion surgery in this setting and analyze long-term survival.

METHODS

We collected clinical data retrospectively on patients who underwent conversion surgery for biliary malignancy.

RESULTS

Twenty-four patients met our inclusion criteria. Preoperative chemotherapy regimens or chemoradiation therapy regimens were administered based on the institutional criteria, and surgical procedures were chosen based on tumor location. Morbidity occurred in 16 patients (66.7%), and 1 patient died of liver failure after surgery. The overall 5-year survival rate following initial therapy was 43.2%, and the median survival time was 57.4 months. The corresponding values following surgery were 38.2% and 34.3 months, respectively. The 5-year survival rate of the 24 patients who received both chemotherapy and surgery was significantly better than that of 110 patients treated with chemotherapy only (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Conversion surgery for initially unresectable biliary malignancies may be feasible and achieve long-term survival for selected patients.

Management of pancreatic head adenocarcinoma: From where to where?

Pancreatic head adenocarcinoma (PHAC) is one of the most aggressive malignancies, and it has low long-term survival rates. Surgery is the only option for long-term survival. The difficulties associated with PHAC include higher frequencies of regional or distant lymph node metastases and vascular involvement, and positive resection margins in pancreatic and retroperitoneal tissues. Radical resections increase margin negativity and life expectancy; however, the extend of the surgery applied is controversial. Thus, western and eastern centers may use different approaches. Multiorgan, peripancreatic nerve plexus, and vascular resections have been discussed in relation to radical surgery for pancreatic cancer as have the roles of neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy regimens. Determining the appropriate limits for surgery, standardizing definitions and surgical techniques according to guidelines, and centralizing pancreatic surgery within high-volume institutions to reduce mortality and morbidity rates are among the most important issues to consider. In this review, we evaluate the basic concepts underlying and the roles of radical surgery for PHAC, and lymphadenectomy, nerve plexus, retroperitoneal tissue, vascular, and multivisceral resections, total pancreatectomy, and liver metastases are discussed.

Decreased serum carbohydrate antigen 19-9 levels after neoadjuvant therapy predict a better prognosis for patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma: a multicenter case-control study of 240 patients

Background

Carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19–9 levels after resection are considered to predict prognosis; however, the significance of decreased CA19–9 levels after neoadjuvant therapy has not been clarified. This study aimed to define the prognostic significance of decreased CA19–9 levels after neoadjuvant therapy in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

Methods

Between 2001 and 2012, 240 consecutive patients received neoadjuvant therapy and subsequent resection at seven high-volume institutions in Japan. These patients were divided into three groups: Normal group (no elevation [≤37 U/ml] before and after neoadjuvant therapy), Responder group (elevated levels [> 37 U/ml] before neoadjuvant therapy but decreased levels [≤37 U/ml] afterwards), and Non-responder group (elevated levels [> 37 U/ml] after neoadjuvant therapy). Analyses of overall survival and recurrence patterns were performed. Uni- and multivariate analyses were performed to clarify the clinicopathological factors influencing overall survival. The initial metastasis sites were also evaluated in these groups.

Results

The Responder group received a better prognosis than the Non-responder group (3-year overall survival: 50.6 and 41.6%, respectively, P = 0.026), but the prognosis was comparable to the Normal group (3-year overall survival: 54.2%, P = 0.934). According to the analysis of the receiver operating characteristic curve, the CA19–9 cut-off level defined as no elevation after neoadjuvant therapy was ≤103 U/ml. The multivariate analysis revealed that a CA19–9 level ≤ 103 U/ml, (P = 0.010, hazard ratio: 1.711; 95% confidence interval: 1.133–2.639), tumor size ≤27 mm (P = 0.040, 1.517; (1.018–2.278)), a lack of lymph node metastasis (P = 0.002, 1.905; (1.276–2.875)), and R0 status (P = 0.045, 1.659; 1.012–2.627) were significant predictors of overall survival. Moreover, the Responder group showed a lower risk of hepatic recurrence (18%) compared to the Non-responder group (31%), though no significant difference in loco-regional, peritoneal or other distant recurrence were observed between groups (P = 0.058, P = 0.700 and P = 0.350, respectively).

Conclusions

Decreased CA19–9 levels after neoadjuvant therapy predicts a better prognosis, with low incidence of hepatic recurrence after surgery.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12885-019-5460-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Comparative Study Between Gemcitabine-Based and Gemcitabine Plus S1-Based Preoperative Chemoradiotherapy for Localized Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma, With Special Attention to Initially Locally Advanced Unresectable Tumor

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate clinical/histological response and prognosis between preoperative gemcitabine-based chemoradiation therapy (G-CRT) and gemcitabine plus S1-based CRT (GS-CRT) for localized pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma patients according to the 3 resectability groups.

METHODS

Among 199 patients who had 90% or more relative dose intensity of chemotherapy and completion of radiotherapy preoperatively (G-CRT: 98 and GS-CRT: 101), the subjects were 113 patients (G-CRT: 60 and GS-CRT: 53) who underwent curative-intent resection, and we compared clinical and histological effects between the 2 regimens.

RESULTS

There is a significant improvement in clinical and histological responses as assessed by reduction rate in tumor size, post-CRT serum level of carbohydrate antigen 19-9, and the ratio of histological high responder according to the Evans grading system in GS-CRT, as compared with G-CRT, which in turn significantly increased R0 resection rate (P = 0.013). These effects of GS-CRT resulted in significant improvement of disease-specific survival (median survival time, 36.0 vs 27.2 months; P = 0.042), especially in patients with unresectable locally advanced disease (36.0 vs 18.1 months, P = 0.014).

CONCLUSIONS

For localized pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma patients, GS-CRT, as compared with G-CRT, provides significant improvement in clinical and histological response as well as long-time survival, especially in patients with unresectable locally advanced disease.

The preoperative modified Glasgow prognostic score for the prediction of survival after pancreatic cancer resection following non-surgical treatment of an initially unresectable disease

AIM OF THE STUDY

Recent advances in chemotherapy have increasingly enabled conversion surgery (CS) in patients with initially unresectable pancreatic cancer (PC), but patient selection remains controversial. We examined the characteristics of patients who would benefit from this procedure.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The clinical and pathological data of 38 patients with unresectable PC, who underwent CS after a favourable response to chemo(radio)therapy at our institute, were investigated. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify predictors for overall survival (OS). Several inflammation-based scores, such as the modified Glasgow prognostic score (mGPS), were also evaluated.

RESULTS

The patients included 13 with locally advanced disease and 25 with metastatic disease. After non-surgical treatment with a median duration of six months, 27 patients (71%) underwent R0/1 resection, and the remainder underwent R2 resection. The two-year and five-year OS from the initial treatment for all patients were 64% and 29%, respectively, and the median survival was 29.1 months. Univariate analysis showed that age < 62 years, preoperative CA19-9 decrease rate ≥ 89%, preoperative mGPS-0, and R0/1 resection were related to a favourable OS. R0/1 resection and mGPS-0 were independent prognostic factors according to multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

Preoperative mGPS is a potential predictor of survival and can aid selection of patients for whom CS could yield promising prognosis for initially unresectable PC.

Survival benefit of conversion surgery for patients with initially unresectable pancreatic cancer who responded favorably to nonsurgical treatment

BACKGROUND

Conversion surgery (CS) is expected as a new therapeutic strategy for patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer (UR-PC). We analyzed outcomes of CS for patients with UR-PC and evaluated the survival benefit of CS.

METHODS

Thirty-four patients diagnosed with UR-PC according to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guideline underwent CS in our hospital. Resectability was considered by multimodal images in patients who underwent nonsurgical treatment (NST) for more than 6 months. CS was performed only in patients who were judged to be able to undergo R0 resection.

RESULTS

Twenty-six patients had locally advanced PC, and eight had distant metastases. The median duration of NST was 9 (range 5-44) months. R0 resection was achieved in 30 patients (88.2%). Six patients (17.6%) showed Evans grade ≥III. Three- and 5-year overall survival (OS) rates from initial treatment were 74% and 56.9%, respectively, with median survival time (MST) of 5.3 years. The actual 5-year OS rate in 19 patients was 47.4% with an MST of 4.0 years. Patients with Evans grade ≥III had a better prognosis than those with Evans grade <III (P = 0.0092, log-rank test).

CONCLUSIONS

Conversion surgery might have survival benefits to patients with UR-PC who responded favorably to NST.

Clinical Significance of Histological Effect and Intratumor Stromal Expression of Tenascin-C in Resected Specimens After Chemoradiotherapy for Initially Locally Advanced Unresectable Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

OBJECTIVES

Tenascin-C (TN-C) is an extracellular matrix protein that is up-regulated in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) stroma and associated with tumor invasion. We examined intratumor stromal expression of TN-C in resected specimens and the histologic effect of chemoradiotherapy (CRT) as prognostic indicators in initially locally advanced unresectable (UR-LA) PDAC.

METHODS

Among 110 UR-LA PDAC patients enrolled in the CRT protocol from February 2005 to December 2015, 46 who underwent curative-intent resection were classified as high (tumor destruction >50%) and low (≤50%) responders according to the Evans grading system. Tenascin-C expression was immunohistologically evaluated in all patients except one with complete response.

RESULTS

The 12 high responders achieved a significantly higher R0 rate than did the 34 low responders (83.3 vs 47.1%), but disease-specific survival (DSS) time was not significantly different (median survival time, 29.8 vs 21.0 months). Tenascin-C expression was inversely correlated with histologic effect of CRT. The 22 patients with negative TN-C had significantly longer DSS time than did the 23 with positive TN-C (29.3 vs 17.1 months). In multivariate analysis, only TN-C expression was a significant prognostic factor for DSS.

CONCLUSIONS

Intratumor stromal expression of TN-C is a strong prognostic indicator in UR-LA PDAC patients with resection after CRT.

Successful conversion surgery for unresectable pancreatic cancer with peritoneal metastases after neoadjuvant albumin-bound paclitaxel and gemcitabine chemotherapy: case report and literature review

We report a case in which combination therapy with albumin-bound paclitaxel (nab-paclitaxel) and gemcitabine converted unresectable pancreatic cancer with peritoneal metastases into resectable disease. The patient was a 71-year-old woman with anorexia. Enhanced abdominal computed tomography (CT) showed an atrophic pancreatic body and tail, dilated main pancreatic duct, peritoneal dissemination, portal vein stricture, bile duct stricture and wall thickening, and blockage of the right ureter. She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer with peritoneal metastases. Curative resection was initially impossible. Combination therapy consisting of nab-paclitaxel and gemcitabine was initiated. The regimen consisted of 28-day cycles of albumin-bound paclitaxel (nab-paclitaxel) (125 mg/m² intravenously over 30 min on days 1, 8, 15) and gemcitabine (1000 mg/m² intravenously over 30 min on days 1, 8, 15). After 8 cycles of chemotherapy, enhanced CT showed no evidence of the tumor in the pancreatic body and tail or peritoneal metastases. Positron emission tomography with CT (PET-CT) showed no abnormal fluorodeoxyglucose uptake. After pre-operative chemotherapy for 8 months, the patient was underwent distal pancreatectomy with resection of soft tissue that corresponded to the right ureteral tumor seen on enhanced CT. This case showed that chemotherapy consisting of nab-paclitaxel and gemcitabine can be well-tolerated and can convert unresectable pancreatic cancer with peritoneal metastases into resectable disease.

Distal Pancreatectomy with en Bloc Celiac Axis Resection (Modified Appleby Procedure) for Locally Advanced Pancreatic Body Cancer: A Single-Center Review of 80 Consecutive Patients

BACKGROUND

Recently, distal pancreatectomy with en bloc celiac axis resection (DP-CAR) or modified Appleby procedure for locally advanced pancreatic body cancer is increasingly reported. However, actual long-term survival data are still unknown.

METHODS

This study retrospectively reviewed 80 consecutive patients with pancreatic body cancer who underwent DP-CAR at a single institution.

RESULTS

The study included 40 men and 40 women with a median age of 65 years (range, 44-85 years). A pancreatic fistula was the most common complication, occurring in 47 patients (57.5 %). Other complications with a high incidence were ischemic gastropathy (23 patients, 28.8 %) and delayed gastric emptying (20 patients, 25 %). According to the Clavien-Dindo classification, the major complications, defined as complications of grade 3 or higher, were observed in 33 patients (41.3 %), and the in-hospital mortality involved four patients (5 %). For all 80 patients, the 1-, 2-, and 5-year overall survivals (OSs) were respectively 81.1, 56.9, and 32.7 %, and the median survival time was 30.9 months. The actual 5-year survival for the 61 patients whose surgery was performed five or more years earlier was 27.9 % (17 of 61). The 1-, 2-, and 5-year OSs for the patients who underwent preoperative therapy (100, 90, and 78.8 %) were significantly better than for those who underwent upfront surgery (77.9, 51.5, and 26.7 %; P < 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

The findings show DP-CAR to be a valid procedure for treating locally advanced pancreatic body cancer, which might contribute more to patients' survival when performed as part of multidisciplinary treatment.

Preoperative Biliary Drainage in Cases of Borderline Resectable Pancreatic Cancer Treated with Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy and Surgery

Objective. To elucidate the optimum preoperative biliary drainage method for patients with pancreatic cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). Material and Methods. From January 2010 through December 2014, 20 patients with borderline resectable pancreatic cancer underwent preoperative biliary drainage and NAC with a plastic or metallic stent and received NAC at Hiroshima University Hospital. We retrospectively analyzed delayed NAC and complication rates due to biliary drainage, effect of stent type on perioperative factors, and hospitalization costs from diagnosis to surgery. Results. There were 11 cases of preoperative biliary drainage with plastic stents and nine metallic stents. The median age was 64.5 years; delayed NAC occurred in 9 cases with plastic stent and 1 case with metallic stent (p = 0.01). The complication rates due to biliary drainage were 0% (0/9) with metallic stents and 72.7% (8/11) with plastic stents (p = 0.01). Cumulative rates of complications determined with the Kaplan-Meier method on day 90 were 60% with plastic stents and 0% with metallic stents (log-rank test, p = 0.012). There were no significant differences between group in perioperative factors or hospitalization costs from diagnosis to surgery. Conclusions. Metallic stent implantation may be effective for preoperative biliary drainage for pancreatic cancer treated with NAC.

Potential risk of residual cancer cells in the surgical treatment of initially unresectable pancreatic carcinoma after chemoradiotherapy

Background

With development of chemoradiotherapy for pancreatic carcinoma, borderline resectable or initially unresectable cases sometimes become operable after long-term intensive chemoradiotherapy. However, there is no established strategy for adjuvant surgery with respect to whether the surgical resection should be extensive or downsized accordingly with diminished disease areas following response to chemoradiotherapy.

Methods

The clinical and pathological aspects of 18 patients with initially unresectable pancreatic cancer who underwent adjuvant surgery after chemo(radio)therapy in our department from 2007 were evaluated.

Results

Overall survival from initial treatment was much better for patients with R0 resection than for patients with R1/2 resection. In two of three patients who had complete improvement of plexus (PL) invasion after chemo(radio)therapy, there had still remained pathological plexus invasion. It was shown that tumors did not shrink continuously from the tumor front, but parts remained discontinuously at the distal portion in the process of tumor regression by chemo(radio)therapy.

Conclusions

In adjuvant surgery for patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer, the potential risk of residual cancer in the regression area following chemoradiotherapy should be considered. Achieving R0 resection will lead to an improved prognosis, and it is necessary to consider how well the extent of resection is after a favorable response to chemoradiotherapy.

Chemotherapy-Derived Inflammatory Responses Accelerate the Formation of Immunosuppressive Myeloid Cells in the Tissue Microenvironment of Human Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the most common type of pancreatic malignancies. PDAC builds a tumor microenvironment that plays critical roles in tumor progression and metastasis. However, the relationship between chemotherapy and modulation of PDAC-induced tumor microenvironment remains poorly understood. In this study, we report a role of chemotherapy-derived inflammatory response in the enrichment of PDAC microenvironment with immunosuppressive myeloid cells. Granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) is a major cytokine associated with oncogenic KRAS in PDAC cells. GM-CSF production was significantly enhanced in various PDAC cell lines or PDAC tumor tissues from patients after treatment with chemotherapy, which induced the differentiation of monocytes into myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC). Furthermore, blockade of GM-CSF with monoclonal antibodies helped to restore T-cell proliferation when cocultured with monocytes stimulated with tumor supernatants. GM-CSF expression was also observed in primary tumors and correlated with poor prognosis in PDAC patients. Together, these results describe a role of GM-CSF in the modification of chemotherapy-treated PDAC microenvironment and suggest that the targeting of GM-CSF may benefit PDAC patients' refractory to current anticancer regimens by defeating MDSC-mediated immune escape.

Concomitant major vessel resection in pancreatic adenocarcinoma

Increasing evidence has contraindicated extended radical dissection of pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PC). With the recent improvement of perioperative management techniques and multimodal treatment strategy for PC, concomitant major vessel resection and reconstruction has thus been aggressively attempted in association with comparatively better pathologically negative surgical margins and postoperative survival. We have discussed the clinical relevance of concomitant major vessel resection mainly focusing on indications for such resection with borderline resectable tumor associated with chemoradiotherapy, distal pancreatectomy with en bloc celiac axis resection for pancreatic body and tail cancer, and adjuvant surgery for initially unresectable pancreatic cancer.

Role of adjuvant surgery in initially unresectable pancreatic cancer after long-term chemotherapy or chemoradiation therapy: survival benefit?

BACKGROUND

The purpose of the present study was to analyze the survival benefit and safety of adjuvant surgery in patients with initially unresectable pancreatic cancer following chemo(radio)therapy.

METHODS

The 130 patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer treated during 2006 to 2013 were divided into a study group (15 patients) with planned adjuvant surgery, and a control group (115 patients with locally advanced disease) without adjuvant surgery.

RESULTS

The study group of 15 patients had shrunken tumor, decreased tumor marker, and maintained performance status after 9 months (range 5-18 months) of chemo(radio)therapy. Thirteen patients had curative resection and two patients were not resected. The remaining controls of 115 patients did not undergo surgical resection due to poor response to chemo(radio)therapy or performance status. The median survival time in the study group was better than in the control group (36 vs. 9 months, P < 0.001). The mortality and morbidity rates in the study group were 0% and 46% respectively, in spite of concomitant organ resections in 77%.

CONCLUSION

Patients who had adjuvant surgery had significant improvement of survival without increase in morbidity and mortality, relative to patients with locally advanced disease. Thus, adjuvant surgery may provide the promising results in this group who responded favorably to initial chemo(radio)therapy in unresectable pancreatic cancer.

Adjuvant surgery for advanced extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma

Patients with Stage IV cholangiocarcinoma are currently not considered to be surgical candidates and are typically offered systemic chemotherapy. Recently, several novel systemic chemotherapy regimens have allowed an initially unresectable cholangiocarcinoma to be resectable. The aim of this article is to present the usefulness of adjuvant surgery in a case of advanced cholangiocarcinoma that was successfully treated with gemcitabine. A 72-year-old man was diagnosed with distal cholangiocarcinoma with liver metastases (cT2N0M1, Stage IV). He underwent metal stent placement in the duodenum to alleviate jaundice. After 18 courses of chemotherapy using gemcitabine without severe drug toxicities, a computed tomography scan showed that the liver metastases in S6 and S7 had disappeared. The patient underwent subtotal stomach-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy and lymph node dissection. The pathological stage was pT2N0M0, Stage IB. The patient underwent 6 cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy using gemcitabine. The patient is alive and well 6 years and 9 mo after the diagnosis.

Long-term survival after resection of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma with para-aortic lymph node metastasis: case report

Pancreatic cancer patients with para-aortic lymph node metastasis have a poor prognosis and patients living longer than 3 years are rare. We had a patient with pancreatic cancer who survived for more than 10 years after removal of the para-aortic lymph node metastasis. A 57-year-old woman was diagnosed with pancreatic head cancer and underwent a pancreaticoduodenectomy with subtotal gastric resection following Whipple reconstruction in 2000. Para-aortic lymph node metastasis was detected during the operation by intraoperative pathological diagnosis and an extended lymphadenectomy was performed with vascular skeletonization of the celiac and superior mesenteric arteries. In 2004, a low-density area was detected around the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) 5 cm from its root and she was treated with gemcitabine, and the area was undetectable after 3 years of treatment. In 2010, computed tomography showed a low-density area around the same lesion with an increased carcinoembryonic antigen level. After 4 months of gemcitabine treatment, we resected the tumor en bloc with the associated superior mesenteric vein and perineural tissue. Histopathological examination of the resected specimen revealed a well-differentiated tubular adenocarcinoma that closely resembled the original primary pancreatic cancer, indicating perineural recurrence 10 years after the initial resection. She had no recurrence around the SMA for more than one year. Although a meta-analysis has not proved the efficacy of preventive radical dissection, this case indicates that a patient with well-differentiated, chemotherapy-responsive pancreatic cancer with para-aortic lymph node metastasis could have a long survival time through extended dissection of the lymph nodes.

Role of adjuvant surgery for patients with initially unresectable pancreatic cancer with a long-term favorable response to non-surgical anti-cancer treatments: results of a project study for pancreatic surgery by the Japanese Society of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery

PURPOSE

A multicenter survey was conducted to explore the role of adjuvant surgery for initially unresectable pancreatic cancer with a long-term favorable response to non-surgical cancer treatments.

METHODS

Clinical data including overall survival were retrospectively compared between 58 initially unresectable pancreatic cancer patients who underwent adjuvant surgery with a favorable response to non-surgical cancer treatments over 6 months after the initial treatment and 101 patients who did not undergo adjuvant surgery because of either unchanged unresectability, a poor performance status, and/or the patients' or surgeons' wishes.

RESULTS

Overall mortality and morbidity were 1.7 and 47 % in the adjuvant surgery group. The survival curve in the adjuvant surgery group was significantly better than in the control group (p < 0.0001). The propensity score analysis revealed that adjuvant surgery was a significant independent prognostic variable with an adjusted hazard ratio (95 % confidence interval) of 0.569 (0.36-0.89). Subgroup analysis according to the time from initial treatment to surgical resection showed a significant favorable difference in the overall survival in patients who underwent adjuvant surgery over 240 days after the initial treatment.

CONCLUSION

Adjuvant surgery for initially unresectable pancreatic cancer patients can be a safe and effective treatment. The overall survival rate from the initial treatment is extremely high, especially in patients who received non-surgical anti-cancer treatment for more than 240 days.

Novel aspects of preoperative chemoradiation therapy improving anti-tumor immunity in pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive cancer with poor prognosis. Little is known about the immune response in the tumor microenvironment after chemotherapy for initially unresectable tumor. The purpose of this study was to investigate the immunological effects of chemoradiation therapy in the tumor microenvironment of pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Seventeen patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma with and without preoperative chemoradiation therapy were retrospectively analyzed using immunohistochemical methods for HLA class I heavy chain, CD4(+), CD8(+), CD45RO(+) and Foxp3(+) T cell infiltrations. Seven of the 17 study patients received preoperative chemoradiation therapy. There were no statistically significant differences in the number of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell infiltrations in the tumor microenvironment. However, the number of Foxp3(+) T cell infiltrations was significantly lower in the neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy group. The HLA class I expression status was the same between the two groups. In conclusion, preoperative chemoradiation therapy in pancreatic adenocarcinoma is useful for reducing regulatory T cell levels in combination with its direct cytotoxic effects.