Continuous drain irrigation as a risk mitigation strategy for postoperative pancreatic fistula: a meta-analysis.

Background: Postoperative pancreatic fistula serves as the principle cause for the morbidity and mortality observed after pancreatectomy. Continuous drain irrigation as a treatment strategy for infected pancreatic necrosis has previously been described; however, its role adter pancreatectomy has yet to be determined. The aim of this study was to determine whether continuous drain irrigation reduces postoperative pancreatic fistula.

Oncological outcomes of patients with oligometastatic oesophagogastric cancer.

Oligometastatic oesophagogastric cancer was recently defined by consensus as the presence of no more than two metastases and an 18-week period of oncological stability during chemotherapy. The number of patients who fit this criterion and whether their oncological outcome differs from those with multi-metastatic disease is unknown. We analysed a database of 497 patients from 2017 to 2021 with metastatic oesophageal cancer.

The safety of telemedicine clinics as an alternative to in-person preoperative assessment for elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy in patients with benign gallbladder disease: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: The telemedicine clinic for follow up after minor surgical procedures in general surgery is now ubiquitously considered a standard of care. However, this method of consultation is not the mainstay for preoperative assessment and counselling of patients for common surgical procedures such as laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety of assessing and counselling patients in the telemedicine clinic without a physical encounter for laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Autologous blood transfusion reduces the requirement for perioperative allogenic blood transfusion in patients undergoing major hepatopancreatobiliary surgery: a retrospective cohort study.

Introduction: Major hepatopancreatobiliary surgery is associated with a risk of major blood loss. The authors aimed to assess whether autologous transfusion of blood salvaged intraoperatively reduces the requirement for postoperative allogenic transfusion in this patient cohort.

Materials And Methods: In this single centre study, information from a prospective database of 501 patients undergoing major hepatopancreatobiliary resection (2015-2022) was analysed.

Real-world practice of conversion surgery for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma - a single center data of 26 consecutive patients.

Aim: To understand the proportion of uHCC (unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma) patients who achieve successful conversion resection in a high-volume setting with state of the art treatment options.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all HCC patients hospitalized to our center from June 1, 2019 to June 1, 2022. Conversion rate, clinicopathological features, response to systemic and/or loco-regional therapy and surgical outcomes were analyzed.

Long-term morbidity after surgery for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma: A cohort study.

Background: Surgery for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (pCCA) offers the only possibility of long-term survival, but remains a formidable undertaking. Traditionally, 90-day post-operative complications and death are used to define operative risk. However, there is concern that this metric may not accurately capture long-term morbidity after such complex surgery.

Liquid biopsy in cholangiocarcinoma: Current status and future perspectives.

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) are a heterogeneous group of tumors in terms of aetiology, natural history, morphological subtypes, molecular alterations and management, but all sharing complex diagnosis, management, and poor prognosis. Several mutated genes and epigenetic changes have been detected in CCA, with the potential to identify diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Accessing tumoral components and genetic material is therefore crucial for the diagnosis, management and selection of targeted therapies; but sampling tumor tissue, when possible, is often risky and difficult to be repeated at different time points.

Cancer Extracellular Matrix Proteins Regulate Tumour Immunity.

The extracellular matrix (ECM) plays an increasingly recognised role in the development and progression of cancer. Whilst significant progress has been made in targeting aspects of the tumour microenvironment such as tumour immunity and angiogenesis, there are no therapies that address the cancer ECM. Importantly, immune function relies heavily on the structure, physics and composition of the ECM, indicating that cancer ECM and immunity are mechanistically inseparable.

The Diagnostic Accuracy of Mutant KRAS Detection from Pancreatic Secretions for the Diagnosis of Pancreatic Cancer: A Meta-Analysis.

This meta-analysis aims to identify the diagnostic accuracy of mutations in the Kirsten Rat Sarcoma (KRAS) oncogene in the diagnosis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). The survival of PDAC remains poor often due to the fact that disease is advanced at diagnosis. We analysed 22 studies, with a total of 2156 patients, to identify if the detection of KRAS mutations from pancreatic exocrine secretions yields sufficient specificity and sensitivity to detect patients with PDAC amongst healthy individuals.

FGF2 alters macrophage polarization, tumour immunity and growth and can be targeted during radiotherapy.

Regulation of the programming of tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs) controls tumour growth and anti-tumour immunity. We examined the role of FGF2 in that regulation. Tumours in mice genetically deficient in low-molecular weight FGF2 (FGF2) regress dependent on T cells.

Impacts of combining anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy and radiotherapy on the tumour immune microenvironment in a murine prostate cancer model.

Background: Radiotherapy enhances innate and adaptive anti-tumour immunity. It is unclear whether this effect may be harnessed by combining immunotherapy with radiotherapy fractions used to treat prostate cancer. We investigated tumour immune microenvironment responses of pre-clinical prostate cancer models to radiotherapy.

Proteomics analysis of the matrisome from MC38 experimental mouse liver metastases.

Dissemination of primary tumors to distant anatomical sites has a substantial negative impact on patient prognosis. The liver is a common site for metastases from colorectal cancer, and patients with hepatic metastases have generally much shorter survival, raising a need to develop and implement novel strategies for targeting metastatic disease. The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a meshwork of highly crosslinked, insoluble high-molecular-mass proteins maintaining tissue integrity and establishing cell-cell interactions.

Tumour-Derived Laminin α5 (LAMA5) Promotes Colorectal Liver Metastasis Growth, Branching Angiogenesis and Notch Pathway Inhibition.

Hepatic metastatic growth is dependent upon stromal factors including the matrisomal proteins that make up the extracellular matrix (ECM). Laminins are ECM glycoproteins with several functions relevant to tumour progression including angiogenesis. We investigated whether metastatic colon cancer cells produce the laminins required for vascular basement membrane assembly as a mechanism for the promotion of angiogenesis and liver metastasis growth.

Factors predicting ablation site recurrence following percutaneous microwave ablation of colorectal hepatic metastases.

Background: Microwave ablation (MWA) is a recognised treatment option for liver metastases. The size of the tumour is a well-established factor that influences the success of MWA. However, the effect of "heat sink" on the success of MWA for hepatic metastases is unclear.

Radiation combined with macrophage depletion promotes adaptive immunity and potentiates checkpoint blockade.

Emerging evidence suggests a role for radiation in eliciting anti-tumour immunity. We aimed to investigate the role of macrophages in modulating the immune response to radiation. Irradiation to murine tumours generated from colorectal (MC38) and pancreatic (KPC) cell lines induced colony-stimulating factor 1 (CSF-1).

Dynamic matrisome: ECM remodeling factors licensing cancer progression and metastasis.

The main cause of cancer-related mortality, metastasis, is a complex, multi-step process. The extracellular matrix (ECM) component of solid tumors has been implicated in metastatic progression; however, the ECM exists as a complex macromolecular substrate and it is unclear how its molecular composition promotes cancer progression. ECM homeostasis is regulated by various secreted proteins including cross-linkers (e.

A core matrisome gene signature predicts cancer outcome.

Background: Accumulating evidence implicates the tumour stroma as an important determinant of cancer progression but the protein constituents relevant for this effect are unknown. Here we utilised a bioinformatics approach to identify an extracellular matrix (ECM) gene signature overexpressed in multiple cancer types and strongly predictive of adverse outcome.

Methods: Gene expression levels in cancers were determined using Oncomine.

Possible congenital dilatation of the pancreatic duct.

The main pancreatic duct can become dilated in a number of conditions. We describe a patient with gross dilatation of the main pancreatic duct without evidence of causative underlying pathology suggesting congenital dilatation of the pancreatic duct. A 36-year-old man presented with signs of intestinal obstruction and a history of surgery for congenital pyloric stenosis.