Outcomes of Salvage Surgery for Esophageal Carcinoma: A Nationwide Cohort Study from the Dutch Upper GI Cancer Audit.

Background: Salvage esophagectomy is more complex and associated with higher postoperative morbidity and mortality than standard resection. This study aimed to investigate short-term outcomes and the influence of hospital volume on these outcomes of salvage surgery for esophageal cancer.

Methods: The study enrolled all patients undergoing esophagectomy for esophageal cancer registered in the Dutch Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer Audit (DUCA) between 2012 and 2022.

Calibrations without raw data-A response to "Seasonal calibration of the end-cretaceous Chicxulub impact event".

A recent article by DePalma et al. reported that the season of the End-Cretaceous mass extinction was confined to spring/summer on the basis of stable isotope analyses and supplementary observations. An independent study that was concurrently under review reached a similar conclusion using osteohistology and stable isotope analyses.

Outcomes after gastrectomy according to the Gastrectomy Complications Consensus Group (GCCG) in the Dutch Upper GI Cancer Audit (DUCA).

Background: In 2019, the Gastrectomy Complications Consensus Group (GCCG) published a standardized set of complications aiming toward uniform reporting of post-gastrectomy complications. This study aimed to report outcomes after gastrectomy in the Netherlands according to GCCG definitions and compare them to previously reported national results and the European database reported by the GCCG.

Methods: This nationwide, population-based cohort study included all patients undergoing gastrectomy for gastric cancer registered in the DUCA in 2020-2021.

Western European Variation in the Organization of Esophageal Cancer Surgical Care.

Reasons for structural and outcome differences in esophageal cancer surgery in Western Europe remain unclear. This questionnaire study aimed to identify differences in the organization of esophageal cancer surgical care in Western Europe. A cross-sectional international questionnaire study was conducted among upper gastrointestinal (GI) surgeons from Western Europe.

Thyroid Incidentalomas: Incidence and Oncological Implication in Patients with Esophageal Cancer.

Introduction: Thyroid incidentalomas are often encountered during imaging performed for the workup of esophageal cancer. Their oncological significance is unknown. This study aimed to establish incidence and etiology of thyroid incidentalomas found during the diagnostic workup of esophageal cancer.

Delayed Surgical Intervention After Chemoradiotherapy in Esophageal Cancer: (DICE) Study.

Objective: To determine the impact of delayed surgical intervention following chemoradiotherapy (CRT) on survival from esophageal cancer.

Background: CRT is a core component of multimodality treatment for locally advanced esophageal cancer. The timing of surgery following CRT may influence the probability of performing an oncological resection and the associated operative morbidity.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on surgical care in the Netherlands.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic caused disruption of regular healthcare leading to reduced hospital attendances, repurposing of surgical facilities, and cancellation of cancer screening programmes. This study aimed to determine the impact of COVID-19 on surgical care in the Netherlands.

Methods: A nationwide study was conducted in collaboration with the Dutch Institute for Clinical Auditing.

Incidence and oncological implication of adrenal incidentalomas in esophageal cancer patients.

Adrenal incidentalomas are regularly encountered during imaging for esophageal cancer patients, but their oncological significance remains unknown. This study aimed to describe the incidence and etiology of adrenal incidentalomas observed throughout the diagnostic workup. This retrospective cohort study included all esophageal cancer patients referred to or diagnosed in the Amsterdam UMC between January 2012 and December 2016.

Hospital Variation in Feeding Jejunostomy Policy for Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy: A Nationwide Cohort Study.

The purpose of this study was to investigate hospital variation in the placement, surgical techniques, and safety of feeding jejunostomies (FJ) during minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) in the Netherlands. This nationwide cohort study analyzed patients registered in the Dutch Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer Audit (DUCA) that underwent MIE for cancer. Hospital variation in FJ placement rates were investigated using case-mix corrected funnel plots.

Recurrent Disease After Esophageal Cancer Surgery: A Substudy of The Dutch Nationwide Ivory Study.

Objective: This study investigated the patterns, predictors, and survival of recurrent disease following esophageal cancer surgery.

Background: Survival of recurrent esophageal cancer is usually poor, with limited prospects of remission.

Methods: This nationwide cohort study included patients with distal esophageal and gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma after curatively intended esophagectomy in 2007 to 2016 (follow-up until January 2020).

Association between Surgical Patient Selection and Hospital Variation in Failure to Cure in Esophageal Cancer Surgery: A Nationwide Cohort Study.

Introduction: Failure to cure describes: (1) nonresectional ("open-close") surgery, (2) non-radical surgery (R1-R2), and/or (3) postoperative mortality. This study aimed to investigate whether hospitals offering surgery to a large proportion of patients have higher failure-to-cure rates than hospitals operating fewer patients.

Methods: From the Netherlands Cancer Registry, all cT1-cT4a/cTx-any cN-cM0 esophageal cancer patients diagnosed in 2015-2018 were included.

The impact of performing gastric cancer surgery during holiday periods. A population-based study using Dutch upper gastrointestinal cancer audit (DUCA) data.

Existing literature suggests inferior quality of oncologic surgery during holiday periods. This study aimed to investigate the impact of holiday periods on surgical treatment of gastric cancer in the Netherlands. This nationwide study included all gastric cancer patients undergoing potentially curative surgery registered in the Dutch Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer Audit (DUCA).

The Mesozoic terminated in boreal spring.

The Cretaceous-Palaeogene mass extinction around 66 million years ago was triggered by the Chicxulub asteroid impact on the present-day Yucatán Peninsula. This event caused the highly selective extinction that eliminated about 76% of species, including all non-avian dinosaurs, pterosaurs, ammonites, rudists and most marine reptiles. The timing of the impact and its aftermath have been studied mainly on millennial timescales, leaving the season of the impact unconstrained.

Surgical Therapy of Esophageal Adenocarcinoma-Current Standards and Future Perspectives.

Transthoracic esophagectomy is currently the predominant curative treatment option for resectable esophageal adenocarcinoma. The majority of carcinomas present as locally advanced tumors requiring multimodal strategies with either neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy or perioperative chemotherapy alone. Minimally invasive, including robotic, techniques are increasingly applied with a broad spectrum of technical variations existing for the oncological resection as well as gastric reconstruction.

Patient-Related Prognostic Factors for Anastomotic Leakage, Major Complications, and Short-Term Mortality Following Esophagectomy for Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses.

Objective: The aim of this study is to identify preoperative patient-related prognostic factors for anastomotic leakage, mortality, and major complications in patients undergoing oncological esophagectomy.

Background: Esophagectomy is a high-risk procedure with an incidence of major complications around 25% and short-term mortality around 4%.

Methods: We systematically searched the Medline and Embase databases for studies investigating the associations between patient-related prognostic factors and anastomotic leakage, major postoperative complications (Clavien-Dindo ≥ IIIa), and/or 30-day/in-hospital mortality after esophagectomy for cancer.

Overall Volume Trends in Esophageal Cancer Surgery Results From the Dutch Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer Audit.

Objective: In the pursuit of quality improvement, this study aimed to investigate volume-outcome trends in oncologic esophagectomy in the Netherlands.

Summary Of Background Data: Concentration of Dutch esophageal cancer care was dictated by introducing an institutional minimum of 20 resections/yr.

Methods: This nationwide cohort study included all esophagectomy patients registered in the Dutch Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer Audit in 2016-2019 from hospitals currently still performing esophagectomies.

Outcomes of Esophagogastric Cancer Surgery During Eight Years of Surgical Auditing by the Dutch Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer Audit (DUCA).

Objective: To evaluate changes in treatment and outcomes of esophagogastric cancer surgery after introduction of the DUCA. In addition, the presence of risk-averse behavior was assessed.

Summary Of Background Data: Clinical auditing is seen as an important quality improvement tool; however, its long-term efficacy remains largely unknown.

Dentition and feeding in Placodontia: tooth replacement in Henodus chelyops.

Background: Placodontia is a Triassic sauropterygian reptile group characterized by flat and enlarged crushing teeth adapted to a durophagous diet. The enigmatic placodont Henodus chelyops has numerous autapomorphic character states, including extreme tooth count reduction to only a single pair of palatine and dentary crushing teeth. This renders the species unusual among placodonts and challenges identification of its phylogenetic position.

Minimally Invasive Oncologic Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery can be Performed Safely on all Weekdays: A Nationwide Cohort Study.

Background: Existing literature suggests deteriorating surgical outcome of esophagogastric surgery as the week progresses. However, these studies were conducted in the pre-centralization and pre-minimally invasive era. In addition, they failed to correct for fixed weekdays of esophagogastric cancer surgery among hospitals.

C-reactive protein after major abdominal surgery in daily practice.

Background: Infectious complications are frequently encountered after abdominal surgery. Early recognition, diagnosis, and subsequent timely treatment is the single most important denominator of postoperative outcome. This study prospectively addressed the predictive value of routine assessment of C-reactive protein levels as an early marker for infectious complications after major abdominal surgery.

Failure to Cure in Patients Undergoing Surgery for Gastric Cancer: A Nationwide Cohort Study.

Background: This study aimed to describe the incidence of failure to cure (a composite outcome measure defined as surgery not meeting its initial aim), and the impact of hospital variation in the administration of neoadjuvant therapy on this outcome measure.

Methods: All patients in the Dutch Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer Audit undergoing curatively intended gastric cancer surgery in 2011-2019 were included. Failure to cure was defined as (1) 'open-close' surgery; (2) irradical surgery (R1/R2); or (3) 30-day/in-hospital mortality.