Laparoscopic surgery for rectal cancer reveals comparable oncological outcome even in context of worse short-term results-long-term analysis of nearly 500 patients from two high-volume centers.

Purpose: Large randomized controlled trials have investigated the oncological value of the laparoscopic approach to colorectal cancer. Mainly, non-inferiority for the laparoscopic approach regarding long-term survival could be shown. Nevertheless, some recent trials revealed inferiority especially due to histopathological quality of specimen or location of the tumor in the rectum.

Influence of Anastomotic Leak After Elective Colorectal Cancer Resection on Survival and Local Recurrence: A Propensity Score Analysis.

Background: The occurrence of anastomotic leakage is still a life-threatening complication for patients after colorectal surgery. In literature not only an impact on the short-term outcome but also on long-term survival and local recurrence of colorectal cancer patients is discussed.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the impact of anastomotic leakage on long-term survival and local recurrence.

Correction to: The proliferation marker pKi-67 becomes masked to MIB-1 staining after expression of its tandem repeats.

In the PubMed citation records, the author's name shows.

Radical Resection of Locally Recurrent Colorectal Cancer Significantly Improves Overall Survival: A Single-Center Cohort Study.

Background: Despite multimodal treatment strategies, locoregional recurrence rates are still significant in colorectal carcinoma (CRC).

Methods: Clinical, pathological, perioperative, and survival data of 203 patients with recurrent CRC enlisted in a prospective database from 1990 to 2011 were analyzed.

Results: Median disease-free survival in our cohort of 203 patients was 23 months after resection of the primary tumor.

Conception of the Lübeck Toolbox curriculum for basic minimally invasive surgery skills.

Purpose: Difficulties at the beginning of the learning curve in minimally invasive surgery (MIS) can well be overcome by simulation outside the operating room. Despite a great number of available devices, standardized, structured, and validated training curricula for video simulators are scarce.

Methods: The Lübeck Toolbox (LTB) video trainer provides six training modules and online video tutorials.

Protein levels of clusterin and glutathione synthetase in platelets allow for early detection of colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most frequent malignancies in the Western world. Early tumor detection and intervention are important determinants on CRC patient survival. During early tumor proliferation, dissemination and angiogenesis, platelets store and segregate proteins actively and selectively.

Increased cathepsin D protein expression is a biomarker for osteosarcomas, pulmonary metastases and other bone malignancies.

Cancer proteomics provide a powerful approach to identify biomarkers for personalized medicine. Particularly, biomarkers for early detection, prognosis and therapeutic intervention of bone cancers, especially osteosarcomas, are missing. Initially, we compared two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE)-based protein expression pattern between cell lines of fetal osteoblasts, osteosarcoma and pulmonary metastasis derived from osteosarcoma.

Cold-Plasma Coagulation on the Surface of the Small Bowel Is Safe in Pigs.

Introduction: Surgical treatment in patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis is often limited by the extent of small bowel involvement. We investigated the results of the application of cold-plasma coagulation on the surface of the small bowel.

Methods: After permission by the federal government of Schleswig-Holstein, 8 female pigs underwent a laparoscopy and cold-plasma coagulation on the small bowel with different energy levels.

Assessing quality and functionality of DNA isolated from FFPE tissues through external quality assessment in tissue banks.

Background: Biobanks are becoming increasingly important for assessment of disease risk as well as identification and validation of new diagnostic biomarkers and druggable targets. The validity of data obtained from biobanks is critically limited by the biomaterial quality of the biological samples. External quality assessment (EQA) programs suitable to comprehensively measure the biomaterial quality in archived materials are currently lacking.

Is laparoscopic treatment of incisional and recurrent hernias associated with an increased risk for complications?

Introduction: Hernias of the ventral abdominal wall can be treated with an intraperitoneal onlay mesh (IPOM). The aim of this cohort study was to analyze the complications and recurrence rates after laparoscopic ventral hernia repair focusing especially on incisional and recurrent hernias.

Methods: The study population comprised 149 patients with a hernia of the abdominal wall, which was treated with an IPOM between January 2006 and January 2011.

Colorectal neoplasia in IBD--a single-center analysis of patients undergoing proctocolectomy.

Purpose: The risk, prevention, and treatment of colorectal neoplasia in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are still a matter of debate. The aim of this study was to analyze the occurrence of colorectal neoplasia in IBD patients who underwent proctocolectomy.

Methods: The study population comprised of 123 IBD patients who underwent proctocolectomy because of neoplasia, therapy refractivity, or complications between January 2000 and July 2011.

Conversion of laparoscopic surgery for perforated peptic ulcer: a single-center study.

Purpose: A perforated peptic ulcer can be managed laparoscopically in selected patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether conversion of emergency laparoscopy is inferior to primary median laparotomy in terms of postoperative morbidity and mortality.

Methods: We analyzed patients who underwent laparoscopic or open surgery for a perforated peptic ulcer at the Department of Surgery, University of Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Luebeck between January, 1996 and December, 2010.

Prospective Analysis of More than 1,000 Patients with Rectal Carcinoma: Are There Gender-Related Differences?

Background: Since the beginning of the new millennium gender medicine has become more and more relevant. The goal has been to unveil differences in presentation, treatment response, and prognosis of men and women with regard to various diseases.

Methods: This study encompassed 1,061 patients who underwent surgery for rectal cancer at the Department of Surgery, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein Campus Lübeck, Germany, between January 1990 and December 2011.

Laparoscopic versus open reversal of a Hartmann procedure: a single-center study.

Purpose: Re-anastomosis after a Hartmann procedure is associated with a higher morbidity and mortality than other elective colorectal operations. The goal of this comparative study was to evaluate whether laparoscopic reversal is a justified operative approach, although the initial operation is most often an emergency laparotomy.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on data collected on all 70 patients who underwent laparoscopic and open reversal of a Hartmann procedure at the Department of Surgery, University of Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Lübeck, between January 1999 and December 2011.

Chromosomal aneuploidy affects the global proteome equilibrium of colorectal cancer cells.

Background: Chromosomal aneuploidy has been identified as a prognostic factor in the majority of sporadic carcinomas. However, it is not known how chromosomal aneuploidy affects chromosome-specific protein expression in particular, and the cellular proteome equilibrium in general.

Objective: The aim was to detect chromosomal aneuploidy-associated expression changes in cell clones carrying trisomies found in colorectal cancer.

Aneuploidy characterizes adjacent non-malignant mucosa of ulcerative colitis-associated but not sporadic colorectal carcinomas: a matched-pair analysis.

Introduction: Aneuploidy has been suggested as independent prognostic marker in ulcerative colitis (UC) patients for developing UC-associated colorectal carcinomas (UCCs). UCCs are associated with a poorer prognosis and more frequently present with synchronous carcinomas when compared with sporadic colorectal carcinomas (SCCs). The authors therefore investigated if the adjacent non-malignant mucosa of aneuploid UCCs and aneuploid SCCs shows differences regarding the frequency of aneuploidy and if this aneuploidy is associated with histomorphological alterations.

Aneuploidy-associated gene expression signatures characterize malignant transformation in ulcerative colitis.

Background: Malignant transformation in ulcerative colitis (UC) is associated with pronounced chromosomal instability, reflected by aneuploidy. Although aneuploidy can precede primary cancer diagnosis in UC for more than a decade, little is known of its cellular consequences.

Methods: Whole-genome gene expression analysis was applied to noninflamed colon mucosa, mucosal biopsies of patients with UC, and UC-associated carcinomas (UCCs).

Aneuploidy and elevated CEA indicate an increased risk for metachronous metastasis in colorectal cancer.

Purpose: Presently, no markers exist to predict metachronous metastasis at the time a primary colorectal cancer is diagnosed. While aneuploidy indicates poor survival prognosis and elevated carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels the presence of recurrent disease, the predictive value of both markers regarding imminent metachronous metastases is unclear.

Methods: Sixty patients with distant recurrence throughout a 5-year follow-up (TM+) were randomly chosen and 60 patients without metastasis matched to this cohort (TM-).

The "North German Tumor Bank of Colorectal Cancer": status report after the first 2 years of support by the German Cancer Aid Foundation.

Purpose: Research projects and clinical trials strongly rely on high-quality biospecimens which are provided by biobanks. Since differences in sample processing and storage can strongly affect the outcome of such studies, standardization between biobanks is necessary to guarantee reliable results of large, multicenter studies. The German Cancer Aid Foundation (Deutsche Krebshilfe e.

Laparoscopic navigated liver resection: technical aspects and clinical practice in benign liver tumors.

Laparoscopic liver resection has been performed mostly in centers with an extended expertise in both hepatobiliary and laparoscopic surgery and only in highly selected patients. In order to overcome the obstacles of this technique through improved intraoperative visualization we developed a laparoscopic navigation system (LapAssistent) to register pre-operatively reconstructed three-dimensional CT or MRI scans within the intra-operative field. After experimental development of the navigation system, we commenced with the clinical use of navigation-assisted laparoscopic liver surgery in January 2010.

A novel multiplex-protein array for serum diagnostics of colon cancer: a case-control study.

Background: More than 1.2 million new cases of colorectal cancer are reported each year worldwide. Despite actual screening programs, about 50% of the patients are diagnosed at advanced tumor stages presenting poor prognosis.

Outcome and management of invasive candidiasis following oesophageal perforation.

The regular colonisation of the oesophagus with a Candida species can, after oesophageal perforation, result in a contamination of the mediastinum and the pleura with a Candida species. A patient cohort of 80 patients with oesophageal perforation between 1986 and 2010 was analysed retrospectively. The most common sources with positive results for Candida were mediastinal biopsies and broncho-alveolar secretions.

Influence of second or multiple tumours on the prognosis of patients with colorectal cancer.

Background: Colorectal cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in the Western world. A wide variety of prognostic factors for colorectal cancer have been identified. There is, however, a paucity of literature addressing the influence of multiple primary carcinomas on prognosis.

Surgical management of acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding:still a major challenge.

Background/aims: Acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) that cannot be managed with conservative interventional techniques is a life-threatening condition. This study assesses patient outcome and the role of different risk factors.

Methodology: We retrospectively analyzed data from 91 patients (58 men, 33 women) admitted between 2000 and 2009 and who underwent surgery for UGIB requiring transfusion.

Metachronous metastasis- and survival-analysis show prognostic importance of lymphadenectomy for colon carcinomas.

Background: Lymphadenectomy is performed to assess patient prognosis and to prevent metastasizing. Recently, it was questioned whether lymph node metastases were capable of metastasizing and therefore, if lymphadenectomy was still adequate. We evaluated whether the nodal status impacts on the occurrence of distant metastases by analyzing a highly selected cohort of colon cancer patients.