Publications by authors named "Okker D Bijlstra"

Article Synopsis
  • * A new imaging agent, AKRO-6qcICG, can be applied to the surface of these tumors and helps surgeons see where cancer cells remain during surgery using near-infrared fluorescence.
  • * In studies with patients, AKRO-6qcICG showed excellent sensitivity (100%) in detecting remaining cancer cells, indicating it could be a valuable tool to improve surgical outcomes and minimize additional treatments.
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Purpose: Cysteine cathepsins are proteases that play a role in normal cellular physiology and neoplastic transformation. Elevated expression and enzymatic activity of cathepsins in breast cancer (BCa) indicates their potential as a target for tumor imaging. In particular cathepsin B (CTSB), L (CTSL), and S (CTSS) are used as targets for near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging (FI), a technique that allows real-time intraoperative tumor visualization and resection margin assessment.

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Background: Anastomotic leakage is a severe postoperative complication in colorectal surgery and compromised bowel perfusion is considered a major contributing factor. Conventional methods to assess bowel perfusion have a low predictive value for anastomotic leakage. We therefore aimed to evaluate the efficacy of real-time assessment with near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging with indocyanine green (ICG) in the prevention of anastomotic leakage.

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Importance: Unintended tumor-positive resection margins occur frequently during minimally invasive surgery for colorectal liver metastases and potentially negatively influence oncologic outcomes.

Objective: To assess whether indocyanine green (ICG)-fluorescence-guided surgery is associated with achieving a higher radical resection rate in minimally invasive colorectal liver metastasis surgery and to assess the accuracy of ICG fluorescence for predicting the resection margin status.

Design, Setting, And Participants: The MIMIC (Minimally Invasive, Indocyanine-Guided Metastasectomy in Patients With Colorectal Liver Metastases) trial was designed as a prospective single-arm multicenter cohort study in 8 Dutch liver surgery centers.

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Article Synopsis
  • Near-infrared fluorescence imaging in cancer surgery currently lacks a consistent method to assess the effectiveness of fluorescent dyes, leading to challenges in translating research findings from lab to clinical settings.
  • The goal of this study is to create a semi-automatic method that provides an objective way to measure fluorescent signals in tissue samples post-surgery.
  • The new method was tested and showed better consistency than traditional techniques, indicating it can enhance the reliability and standardization of studies involving fluorescent dyes in clinical applications.
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Article Synopsis
  • Metastasectomy is a treatment for colorectal lung metastases (CLM), and this study explored using a fluorescent tracer, SGM-101, to improve detection during surgery.
  • The study involved 13 patients and measured how effectively SGM-101 indicated the presence of CLM, with the closed-field imaging showing the best results in identifying tumors.
  • Ultimately, the findings suggest that SGM-101 has potential for enhancing the surgical targeting of tumors, especially when combined with better imaging technologies and patient selection strategies.
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Purpose: To assess the quantitative minimal ablation margin (MAM) in patients with colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) treated with percutaneous thermal ablation (TA) and correlate the quantitative MAM with local tumour recurrence (LTR).

Method: Thirty-nine of 143 patients with solitary or multiple CRLM who underwent a first percutaneous TA procedure between January 2011 and May 2020 were considered eligible for study enrolment. Image fusion of pre- and post-ablation scans and 3D quantitative MAM assessment was performed using the in-house developed semi-automatic rigid MRI/CECT-CECT co-registration software deLIVERed.

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The majority of breast cancer patients is treated with breast-conserving surgery (BCS) combined with adjuvant radiation therapy. Up to 40% of patients has a tumor-positive resection margin after BCS, which necessitates re-resection or additional boost radiation. Cathepsin-targeted near-infrared fluorescence imaging during BCS could be used to detect residual cancer in the surgical cavity and guide additional resection, thereby preventing tumor-positive resection margins and associated mutilating treatments.

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Background: Tumor-positive surgical margins during primary breast cancer (BCa) surgery are associated with a two-fold increase in the risk of local recurrence when compared with tumor-negative margins. Pathological microscopic evaluation of the samples only assesses about 1/10 of 1% of the entire volume of the removed BCa specimens, leading to margin under-sampling and potential local recurrence in patients with pathologically clean margins, i.e.

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Objective: To determine the nationwide implementation and surgical outcome of minor and major robotic liver surgery (RLS) and assess the first phase of implementation of RLS during the learning curve.

Background: RLS may be a valuable alternative to laparoscopic liver surgery. Nationwide population-based studies with data on implementation and outcome of RLS are lacking.

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Robotic liver surgery represents the most recent evolution in the field of minimally-invasive liver surgery. For planning and guidance of liver resections, surgeons currently rely on preoperative 2-dimensional (2D) CT and/or MR imaging and intraoperative ultrasonography. Translating 2D images into digital 3-dimensional (3D) models may improve both preoperative planning and surgical guidance.

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Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the potential benefit of perioperative systemic therapy on overall and progression-free survival after repeat local treatment in patients suffering from recurrent colorectal cancer liver metastasis (CRLM).

Background: The optimal treatment strategy in patients with recurrent CRLM needs to be clarified, in particular for those suffering from early recurrence of CRLM.

Methods: In this multicenter observational cohort study, consecutive patients diagnosed with recurrent CRLM between 2009 and 2019 were retrospectively identified in 4 academic liver surgery centers.

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Introduction: Anastomotic leakage (AL) is one of the major complications after colorectal surgery. Compromised tissue perfusion at the anastomosis site increases the risk of AL. Several cohort studies have shown that indocyanine green (ICG) combined with fluorescent near-infrared imaging is a feasible and reproducible technique for real-time intraoperative imaging of tissue perfusion, leading to reduced leakage rates after colorectal resection.

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Lung cancer is the most common cancer type worldwide, with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) being the most common subtype. Non-disseminated NSCLC is mainly treated with surgical resection. The intraoperative detection of lung cancer can be challenging, since small and deeply located pulmonary nodules can be invisible under white light.

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(1) Background: Up to 50% of patients with colorectal cancer either have synchronous colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) or develop CRLM over the course of their disease. Surgery and thermal ablation are the most common local treatment options of choice. Despite development and improvement in local treatment options, (local) recurrence remains a significant clinical problem.

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Article Synopsis
  • Optimal tumor identification during surgery for gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) is crucial, and this study explores the use of near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) imaging with indocyanine green (ICG) to enhance that process.
  • The study involved 10 GIST patients who received ICG intravenously before surgery, with fluorescence assessments made at various intervals.
  • Results showed that GISTs often had fluorescence levels similar to surrounding tissues, indicating that ICG is currently not effective for distinguishing GISTs during surgery, highlighting the need for more specific fluorescent tracers for better tumor identification.
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Purpose: Incomplete oncologic resections and damage to vital structures during colorectal cancer surgery increases morbidity and mortality. Moreover, neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy has become the standard treatment modality for locally advanced rectal cancer, where subsequent downstaging can make identification of the primary tumor more challenging during surgery. Near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging can aid surgeons by providing real-time visualization of tumors and vital structures during surgery.

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Background: Clinical outcomes reported after treatment of infrapopliteal lesions with drug-eluting stents (DESs) have been more favorable compared with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty with a bailout bare metal stent (PTA-BMS) through midterm follow-up in patients with critical limb ischemia. In the present study, long-term results of treatment of infrapopliteal lesions with DESs are presented.

Methods And Results: Adults with critical limb ischemia (Rutherford category ≥4) and infrapopliteal lesions were randomized to receive PTA-BMS or DESs with paclitaxel.

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