Pancreaticoduodenectomy versus limited resection for duodenal gastrointestinal stromal tumors: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: By comparing the long-term prognostic outcomes after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) and limited resection (LR), this study aimed to investigate the optimal surgical modality for duodenal gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs).

Methods: Two authors independently searched PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and the Cochrane Library for published articles comparing the long-term prognostic and clinicopathological factors of duodenal GIST patients undergoing PD versus LR. Relevant information was extracted and analyzed.

Results: After screening, 10 items comprising 623 cases were eventually included. This meta-analysis explicitly indicated that PD treatment was associated with worse long-term prognosis (hazard ratio = 1.93; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.39-2.69; p < 0.001; I = 0) and more complications (odds ratio [OR] = 2.90; 95% CI, 1.90-4.42; p < 0.001; I = 10%) than LR treatment. Nevertheless, for duodenal GISTs, PD was related to the following clinicopathological features: invasion of the second part of the duodenum (OR = 3.39; 95% CI, 1.69-6.79; p < 0.001; I = 50%), high-degree tumor mitosis (> 5/50 high-power fields; OR = 2.24; 95% CI, 1.42-3.52; p < 0.001; I = 0), and high-risk classification (OR = 3.17; 95% CI; 2.13-4.71; p < 0.001; I = 0).

Conclusions: Since PD is associated with worse long-term prognosis and more complications, its safety and efficacy should be ascertained. Our findings recommend the use of LR to obtain negative incision margins when conditions permit it.