Current role of palliative interventions in advanced pancreatic cancer

Locally advanced pancreatic cancer: Is surgical palliation associated with improved clinical outcome relative to medical palliation?

BACKGROUND

The value of palliative surgery in pancreatic cancer is not well-defined.

METHODS

We queried the National Cancer Database for patients undergoing curative-intent resection, palliative surgery or medical palliation for clinical stage cT4N0-2M0 pancreatic cancer. Cohorts were 1:1:1 propensity-score-matched for comorbidities and stage. Kaplan-Meier method was used to compare overall survival for matched cohorts.

RESULTS

9,107 patients met inclusion criteria: 3,567 (39 ​%) underwent curative intent surgery, 1608 (18 ​%) surgical palliation, 3932 (43 ​%) medical palliation. Patients undergoing resection and surgical palliation had significant hospitalizations (11.0 ​± ​0.4 vs. 10.0 ​± ​0.3 days; p ​= ​0.821) and rates of readmission (8.1 ​% vs. 2.0 ​%; p ​< ​0.001). Patients undergoing surgical palliation demonstrated marginal increases in survival relative to those undergoing medical palliation (8.54 vs. 7.36 months; p ​< ​0.0001).

CONCLUSION

In patients undergoing care for locally advanced pancreatic cancer, palliative surgery is associated with marginal improvement in survival but significant lengths of hospitalization and risk of readmission.

Palliative Stenting for Gastric Outlet Obstruction Secondary to Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most fatal malignancies due to its advanced stages at the time of presentation. Often, it is only diagnosed when patients present with late-stage complications, such as gastric outlet obstruction (GOO). Many patients experience a poor quality of life due to the side effects of GOO, such as persistent nausea, vomiting, and an inability to tolerate an oral diet, and as such, patients deteriorate quickly after their diagnosis. Because pancreatic cancer is diagnosed at advanced stages, many patients are not surgical candidates, and thus treatment is tailored for palliative measures. With GOO specifically, gastrojejunostomy has been the mainstay of palliative management; however, endoscopic stent placement is a new, innovative, and minimally invasive alternative option. Herein, we present a case of GOO as a complication of pancreatic adenocarcinoma, treated with palliative endoscopic stent placement. Further research is warranted to identify patients who would most benefit from this modality of palliation in the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer.

Impact of Palliative Interventions on Survival of Patients with Unresected Pancreatic Cancer: Review of the 2010-2016 National Cancer Database

INTRODUCTION

Palliative interventions (PI) are offered to patients with pancreatic cancer with the aim of enhancing quality of life and improving overall survival (OS). The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of PI on survival amongst patients with unresected pancreatic cancer.

METHODS

Patients with stage I-IV unresected pancreatic adenocarcinoma were identified using the 2010-2016 National Cancer Database. The cohort was stratified by PI received: palliative surgery (PS), radiation therapy (RT), chemotherapy (CT), pain management (PM), or a combination (COM) of the preceding. Kaplan-Meier method with log-rank test was used to compare and estimate OS based on the PI received. A multivariate proportional hazards model was utilized to identify predictors of survival.

RESULTS

25,995 patients were identified, of which 24.3% received PS, 7.7% RT, 40.8% CT, 16.6% PM, and 10.6% COM. The median OS was 4.9 months, with stage III patients having the highest and stage IV the lowest OS (7.8 vs 4.0 months). Across all stages, PM yielded the lowest median OS and CT the highest (P < .001). Despite this, the stage IV cohort was the only group in which CT (81%) accounted for the largest proportion of PI received (P < .001). Although all PI were identified as positive predictors of survival on multivariate analysis, CT had the strongest association (HR .43; 95% CI, .55-.60, P = .001).

CONCLUSION

PI offers a survival advantage to patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Further studies to examine the observed limited use of CT in earlier disease stages are warranted.

Principles of Palliative and Supportive Care in Pancreatic Cancer: A Review

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is well known for its poor survival time. Clinical symptoms are painless jaundice or abdominal or back pain. Less specific symptoms often appear that make diagnosis difficult, e.g., weight loss, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, and general weakness. Only 10-20% of patients are diagnosed at an early stage. A cure is practically only possible with a radical surgical operation. In the case of locally advanced findings, neoadjuvant therapy is administered. Among the therapeutic options offered are chemotherapy, radiotherapy (including stereotactic radiotherapy-SBRT), targeted treatment, or immunotherapy. In the case of metastatic disease, of which more than half are present at diagnosis, the goal is to relieve the patient of problems. Metastatic PDAC can cause problems arising from the localization of distant metastases, but it also locally affects the organs it infiltrates. In our review article, we focus on the largest group of patients, those with locally advanced disease and metastatic disease-symptoms related to the infiltration or destruction of the pancreatic parenchyma and the growth of the tumor into the surrounding. Therefore, we deal with biliary or duodenal obstruction, gastric outlet syndrome, bleeding and thromboembolic diseases, pain, depression, and fatigue, as well as pancreatic exocrine insufficiency and malnutrition. Metastatic spread is most often to the liver, peritoneum, or lungs. The presented overview aims to offer current therapeutic options across disciplines. In accordance with modern oncology, a multidisciplinary approach with a procedure tailored to the specific patient remains the gold standard.

The Malignant Obstruction Caused by Pancreatic Cancer Within the Uncinate Process in the Third Portion of the Duodenum

Pancreatic cancer has a poor prognosis, and it often causes duodenal obstruction and obstructive jaundice associated with tumor invasion. Self-expandable metal stent (SEMS) placement is useful for duodenal obstruction. Pancreatic cancer can occur in the uncinate process, which may lead to malignant obstruction in the third portion of the duodenum. However, the upper gastrointestinal endoscope often cannot reach the third portion of the duodenum, and SEMS placement is sometimes difficult. We report a case of successful SEMS placement with a colonoscope for the obstruction of the third portion of the duodenum due to uncinate process cancer. A 67-year-old Japanese male was referred to our hospital for palliative treatment of unresectable pancreatic cancer. He complained of anorexia and vomiting and was admitted to our hospital. Computed tomography (CT) scans showed the tumor with delayed enhancement in the pancreatic uncinate process. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) and gastrografin enema revealed the stenosis caused by tumor invasion in the third portion of the duodenum. The stenosis was thought to cause his symptom. PCFQ260AZ endoscope (Olympus, Tokyo, Japan) was able to reach the stenosis, and a 22 mm × 80 mm uncovered SEMS (Niti-S, Taewoong Medical, Seoul, South Korea) was placed beyond the stenosis. After SEMS placement, his symptoms disappeared. Uncinate process cancer is located close to the third portion of the duodenum and caused the obstruction there. We should be cautious about this, and a colonoscope is useful for SEMS placement for malignant obstruction in the third portion of the duodenum.

Contemporary Assessment of Need for Palliative Bypass After Aborted Pancreatoduodenectomy Following Neoadjuvant Therapy

BACKGROUND

Planned pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) for pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) can be aborted due to intraoperative findings. There is little guidance regarding the need for prophylactic bypass following an aborted PD to prevent symptomatic biliary obstruction or gastric outlet obstruction (GOO) postoperatively. The aim of this study was to characterize postoperative interventions and postsurgical survival in patients following aborted PD.

METHODS

Patients with PDAC treated with neoadjuvant therapy and staging laparoscopy prior to planned PD between 2010 and 2015 were reviewed for aborted PDs. Data on postoperative biliary obstruction, GOO, procedural intervention, and postsurgical survival were analyzed.

RESULTS

Of 271 planned PDs, 47 (17.3%) were aborted. Thirty-six patients had ≥ 2 months of follow-up data and were included. Six patients underwent hepaticojejunostomy and nine patients underwent gastrojejunostomy at the time of the aborted PD. Sixteen of 30 patients (53%) without a surgical biliary bypass required endoscopic intervention, but none required palliative surgery. Ten of 27 patients (37%) without an operative gastrojejunostomy required intervention, but none required palliative surgery. Endoscopic or percutaneous therapy was required to treat 13/16 (81%) patients who presented with postoperative biliary obstructions and 6/10 (60%) of GOOs. Median survival following aborted PD was 13.3 months (CI 8.9-17.7). There were no differences in survival when comparing patients who developed a biliary obstruction (p = 0.92) or GOO (p = 0.90) to asymptomatic patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Following aborted PD, patients commonly develop obstructive symptoms. However, these symptoms can generally be managed without surgical intervention. In asymptomatic patients, preemptive surgical bypasses are not required at the time of aborted PD.

Surgical exploration without resection in pancreatic and periampullary tumors: Report from a national database

Background and objective:

Pancreatic and periampullary cancers are sometimes found to have a too advanced disease during surgery to allow resection. The aim was to describe characteristics, treatment, outcome, and time trends for patients that were planned for pancreatic surgery but found unresectable during surgery.

Methods:

Data from the Swedish National Pancreatic and Periampullary Cancer Registry were used. All patients registered between January 2010 and August 2018 were included. The patient cohort was divided in two halves based on year of diagnosis.

Results:

In total, 12,377 patients were included in the registry and finally 4568 patients were scheduled for surgery. During surgical exploration, 3879 (84.9%) patients underwent pancreatic resection, 658 (14.4%) patients were found unresectable, and 31 (0.7%) had no pancreatic resection due to other reasons (e.g. benign lesion, comorbidity). More patients underwent surgical exploration and resection during the second time period, but exploration without resection was unchanged (15.7% vs 13.7%; p = 0.062). Survival rates were lower among the unresectable patients with pancreatic and periampullary tumors compared to the resectable patients, including 30-day mortality (n = 17 (3.5%) vs n = 39 (1.6%), p = 0.004) and 90-day mortality (n = 72 (15.0%) vs n = 70 (2.8%), p < 0.001). Palliative surgery became less common during the second half of the time period (p < 0.001).

Conclusions:

Unresectability is associated with an unfavorable prognosis. The frequency did not decrease during the study period, but palliative surgical procedures became less common.

Palliative bypass surgery for patients with advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma: experience from a tertiary center

Background

As advances in oncological treatment continue to prolong the survival of patients with non-resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), decision-making regarding palliative surgical bypass in patients with a heavy disease burden turns challenging. Here we present the results of a pancreatic surgery referral center.

Methods

Patients that underwent palliative gastrojejunostomy and/or hepaticojejunostomy for advanced, non-resectable PDAC between January 2010 and November 2018 were retrospectively assessed. All patients were taken to a purely palliative surgery with no curative intent. The postoperative course as well as short and long-term outcomes was evaluated in relation to preoperative parameters.

Results

Forty-two patients (19 females) underwent palliative bypass. Thirty-one underwent only gastrojejunostomy (22 laparoscopic) and 11 underwent both gastrojejunostomy and hepaticojejunostomy (all by an open approach). Although 34 patients (80.9%) were able to return temporarily to oral intake during the index admission, 15 (35.7%) suffered from a major postoperative complication. Seven patients (16.6%) died from surgery and another seven within the following month. Nine patients (21.4%) never left the hospital following the surgery. Mean length of hospital stay was 18 ± 17 days (range 3–88 days). Mean overall survival was 172.8 ± 179.2 and median survival was 94.5 days. Age, preoperative hypoalbuminemia, sarcopenia, and disseminated disease were associated with palliation failure, defined as inability to regain oral intake, leave the hospital, or early mortality.

Conclusions

Although palliative gastrojejunostomy and hepaticojejunostomy may be beneficial for specific patients, severe postoperative morbidity and high mortality rates are still common. Patient selection remains crucial for achieving acceptable outcomes.