Focused ultrasound and concurrent chemotherapy for the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer: A systematic review.

Background And Objectives: The combination of focused ultrasound (FUS) and chemotherapy is a novel treatment for pancreatic cancer. This paper reviews the literature on this combined therapy.

Methods: The medical literature was searched according to PRISMA guidelines.

Hospital volume-outcome relationships for robot-assisted surgeries: a population-based analysis.

Background: Associations between procedure volumes and outcomes can inform minimum volume standards and the regionalization of health services. Robot-assisted surgery continues to expand globally; however, data are limited regarding which hospitals should be using the technology.

Study Design: Using administrative health data for all residents of Ontario, Canada, this retrospective cohort study included adult patients who underwent a robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP), total robotic hysterectomy (TRH), robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN), or robotic portal lobectomy using 4 arms (RPL-4) between January 2010 and September 2021.

Factors Associated With Loss to Follow-Up in Surgical Trials: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Introduction: Loss to follow-up (LTFU) distorts results of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Understanding trial characteristics that contribute to LTFU may enable investigators to anticipate the extent of LTFU and plan retention strategies. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to investigate the extent of LTFU in surgical RCTs and evaluate associations between trial characteristics and LTFU.

Prediction of post-hepatectomy liver failure by preoperative gadoxetate disodium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging.

Background: Approximately 15% of patients experience post-hepatectomy liver failure after major hepatectomy. Poor hepatocyte uptake of gadoxetate disodium, a magnetic resonance imaging contrast agent, may be a predictor of post-hepatectomy liver failure.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing major hepatectomy (≥3 segments) with a preoperative gadoxetate disodium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging was conducted.

Hospital learning curves for robot-assisted surgeries: a population-based analysis.

Background: Robot-assisted surgery has been rapidly adopted. It is important to define the learning curve to inform credentialling requirements, training programs, identify fast and slow learners, and protect patients. This study aimed to characterize the hospital learning curve for common robot-assisted procedures.

Current Practices in Hepatic Artery Infusion (HAI) Chemotherapy: An International Survey of the HAI Consortium Research Network.

Background: An increasing number of hepatic artery infusion (HAI) programs have been established worldwide. Practice patterns for this complex therapy across these programs have not been reported. This survey aimed to identify current practice patterns in HAI therapy with the long-term goal of defining best practices and performing prospective studies.

Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses of the Procedure-specific Risks of Thrombosis and Bleeding in General Abdominal, Colorectal, Upper Gastrointestinal, and Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery.

Objective: To provide procedure-specific estimates of symptomatic venous thromboembolism (VTE) and major bleeding after abdominal surgery.

Background: The use of pharmacological thromboprophylaxis represents a trade-off that depends on VTE and bleeding risks that vary between procedures; their magnitude remains uncertain.

Methods: We identified observational studies reporting procedure-specific risks of symptomatic VTE or major bleeding after abdominal surgery, adjusted the reported estimates for thromboprophylaxis and length of follow-up, and estimated cumulative incidence at 4 weeks postsurgery, stratified by VTE risk groups, and rated evidence certainty.

Rectus sheath catheters reduce opiate use in pancreaticoduodenectomy: a pre- and postintervention cohort study.

Background: Pancreaticoduodenectomy is the only curative option for patients with pancreatic cancer; however, pain remains a considerable problem postoperatively. With many centres moving away from using epidural analgesia, there is the need to evaluate alternative opiate sparing techniques for postoperative analgesia. We sought to determine if rectus sheath catheters (RSCs) had an opiate sparing and analgesic effect compared with standard care alone (opiate analgesia).

Association Between Biliary Pathogens, Surgical Site Infection, and Pancreatic Fistula: Results of a Randomized Trial of Perioperative Antibiotic Prophylaxis in Patients Undergoing Pancreatoduodenectomy.

Objective: To establish the association between bactibilia and postoperative complications when stratified by perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis.

Background: Patients undergoing pancreatoduodenectomy experience high rates of surgical site infection (SSI) and clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula (CR-POPF). Contaminated bile is known to be associated with SSI, but the role of antibiotic prophylaxis in mitigation of infectious risks is ill-defined.

Piperacillin-Tazobactam Compared With Cefoxitin as Antimicrobial Prophylaxis for Pancreatoduodenectomy: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Despite improvements in perioperative mortality, the incidence of postoperative surgical site infection (SSI) remains high after pancreatoduodenectomy. The effect of broad-spectrum antimicrobial surgical prophylaxis in reducing SSI is poorly understood.

Objective: To define the effect of broad-spectrum perioperative antimicrobial prophylaxis on postoperative SSI incidence compared with standard care antibiotics.

A radiomic biomarker for prognosis of resected colorectal cancer liver metastases generalizes across MRI contrast agents.

Introduction: Contrast-enhanced MRI is routinely performed as part of preoperative work-up for patients with Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastases (CRLM). Radiomic biomarkers depicting the characteristics of CRLMs in MRI have been associated with overall survival (OS) of patients, but the reproducibility and clinical applicability of these biomarkers are limited due to the variations in MRI protocols between hospitals.

Methods: In this work, we propose a generalizable radiomic model for predicting OS of CRLM patients who received preoperative chemotherapy and delayed-phase contrast enhanced (DPCE) MRIs prior to hepatic resection.

The evolving use of robotic surgery: a population-based analysis.

Introduction: Robotic surgery has integrated into the healthcare system despite limited evidence demonstrating its clinical benefit. Our objectives were (i) to describe secular trends and (ii) patient- and system-level determinants of the receipt of robotic as compared to open or laparoscopic surgery.

Methods: This population-based retrospective cohort study included adult patients who, between 2009 and 2018 in Ontario, Canada, underwent one of four commonly performed robotic procedures: radical prostatectomy, total hysterectomy, thoracic lobectomy, partial nephrectomy.

Regional Therapy for Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastases: Which Modality and When?

For patients with unresectable colorectal liver metastases (uCRLM), regional therapies leverage the unique, dual blood supply to the liver; the hepatic artery is the main blood supply for liver tumors, whereas the portal vein supplies most normal hepatic parenchyma. Infusion of cancer therapies via the hepatic artery allows selective delivery to the tumors with relative sparing of normal liver tissue and little extrahepatic exposure, thus limiting systemic side effects. There is a paucity of randomized controlled trial evidence to inform the optimal integration of regional therapies into the management of CRLM.

Adverse events following robotic surgery: population-based analysis.

Background: Robotic surgery was integrated into some healthcare systems despite there being few well designed, real-world studies on safety or benefit. This study compared the safety of robotic with laparoscopic, thoracoscopic, and open approaches in common robotic procedures.

Methods: This was a population-based, retrospective study of all adults who underwent prostatectomy, hysterectomy, pulmonary lobectomy, or partial nephrectomy in Ontario, Canada, between 2008 and 2018.

Fear of innovation: public's perception of robotic surgery.

Background: Robotic surgery is used in several surgical procedures with limited evidence of clinical benefit. In some jurisdictions, the demand for robotic surgery may have been fueled by public perception of this novel technology. Therefore, we sought to investigate the public's perception of robotic surgery.

Systematic reviews of observational studies of Risk of Thrombosis and Bleeding in General and Gynecologic Surgery (ROTBIGGS): introduction and methodology.

Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) and bleeding are serious and potentially fatal complications of surgical procedures. Pharmacological thromboprophylaxis decreases the risk of VTE but increases the risk of major post-operative bleeding. The decision to use pharmacologic prophylaxis therefore represents a trade-off that critically depends on the incidence of VTE and bleeding in the absence of prophylaxis.

PATCH-DP: a single-arm phase II trial of intra-operative application of HEMOPATCH™ to the pancreatic stump to prevent post-operative pancreatic fistula following distal pancreatectomy.

Background: Post-operative pancreatic fistula (POPF) is the most significant cause of morbidity following distal pancreatectomy. Hemopatch™ is a thin, bovine collagen-based hemostatic sealant. We hypothesized that application of Hemopatch™ to the pancreatic stump following distal pancreatectomy would decrease the incidence of clinically-significant POPF.

Clinical Trials of Systemic Chemotherapy for Resectable Pancreatic Cancer: A Review.

Importance: Adjuvant chemotherapy is the standard of care for resected pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) based on level 1 evidence, but some studies suggest that a neoadjuvant approach (which is standard for borderline resectable PDAC) may be preferable for upfront resectable PDAC. An in-depth review was conducted of all randomized clinical trials that investigated neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatment of patients with resectable or resected PDAC, focusing on trial design, characteristics of enrolled population, and long-term outcomes.

Observations: The existing resectable PDAC trials have good internal validity but variable applicability because of their restrictive eligibility criteria.

When is a Ghost Really Gone? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of the Accuracy of Imaging Modalities to Predict Complete Pathological Response of Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastases After Chemotherapy.

Background: Administration of chemotherapy to patients with colorectal liver metastases may result in disappearing liver metastases (DLM). This poses a therapeutic dilemma due to the uncertainty of true complete (pathological) response.

Objective: We aimed to examine the diagnostic performance of imaging modalities in detecting true complete response in patients with DLM after chemotherapy.