Primary resection versus neoadjuvant chemoradiation followed by resection for locally resectable or potentially resectable pancreatic carcinoma without distant metastasis. A multi-centre prospectively randomised phase II-study of the Interdisciplinary Working Group Gastrointestinal Tumours (AIO, ARO, and CAO)

BACKGROUND: The disappointing results of surgical therapy alone of ductal pancreatic cancer can only be improved using multimodal approaches. In contrast to adjuvant therapy, neoadjuvant chemoradiation is able to facilitate resectability with free margins and to lower lymphatic spread. Another advantage is better tolerability which consecutively allows applying multimodal treatment in a higher number of patients. Furthermore, the synopsis of the overall survival results of neoadjuvant trials suggests a higher rate compared to adjuvant trials. METHODS/DESIGN: As there are no prospectively randomised studies for neoadjuvant therapy, the Interdisciplinary Study Group of Gastrointestinal Tumours of the German Cancer Aid has started such a trial. The study investigates the effect of neoadjuvant chemoradiation in locally resectable or probably resectable cancer of the pancreatic head without distant metastasis on median overall survival time compared to primary surgery. Adjuvant chemotherapy is integrated into both arms. DISCUSSION: The protocol of the study is presented in condensed form after an introducing survey on adjuvant and neoadjuvant therapy in pancreatic cancer

Postoperative outcomes in oesophagectomy with trainee involvement

BACKGROUND: The complexity of oesophageal surgery and the significant risk of morbidity necessitates that oesophagectomy is predominantly performed by a consultant surgeon, or a senior trainee under their supervision. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of trainee involvement in oesophagectomy on postoperative outcomes in an international multicentre setting. METHODS: Data from the multicentre Oesophago-Gastric Anastomosis Study Group (OGAA) cohort study were analysed, which comprised prospectively collected data from patients undergoing oesophagectomy for oesophageal cancer between April 2018 and December 2018. Procedures were grouped by the level of trainee involvement, and univariable and multivariable analyses were performed to compare patient outcomes across groups. RESULTS: Of 2232 oesophagectomies from 137 centres in 41 countries, trainees were involved in 29.1 per cent of them (n = 650), performing only the abdominal phase in 230, only the chest and/or neck phases in 130, and all phases in 315 procedures. For procedures with a chest anastomosis, those with trainee involvement had similar 90-day mortality, complication and reoperation rates to consultant-performed oesophagectomies (P = 0.451, P = 0.318, and P = 0.382, respectively), while anastomotic leak rates were significantly lower in the trainee groups (P = 0.030). Procedures with a neck anastomosis had equivalent complication, anastomotic leak, and reoperation rates (P = 0.150, P = 0.430, and P = 0.632, respectively) in trainee-involved versus consultant-performed oesophagectomies, with significantly lower 90-day mortality in the trainee groups (P = 0.005). CONCLUSION: Trainee involvement was not found to be associated with significantly inferior postoperative outcomes for selected patients undergoing oesophagectomy. The results support continued supervised trainee involvement in oesophageal cancer surgery

Preoperative chemoradiation in adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. A single centre experience advocating a new treatment strategy.

AIMS: To evaluate a single centre's experience with pancreatic carcinoma focused on preoperative chemoradiation therapy (CRT) for treatment of locally advanced pancreatic carcinoma. The aim of the present analysis was to evaluate the median overall survival time (OS) after preoperative CRT and to compare it with OS after primary resection of pancreatic carcinoma. In conclusion a new treatment strategy was developed using multimodality treatment for pancreatic carcinoma deemed to be resectable by CT-scan. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between 1995 and 2003, 302 patients with ductal adenocarcinoma of the pancreatic head and body were recorded prospectively and OS was analysed with regard to therapy. RESULTS: Fifty-eight patients were resected without any pretreatment and had an OS of 21 months. Twenty-one patients with initially unresectable tumours underwent CRT followed by resection and had an OS of 54 months, which was not significantly different from primary resection (p=0.315). Lymph node metastasis was significantly reduced after CRT (p=0.0029). OS for patients whose tumours could not be resected was 3-10 months, depending on tumour stage and consecutive therapy. CONCLUSION: CRT pretreatment was effective in locally advanced pancreatic carcinoma and resulted in resection of tumours otherwise staged as non-resectable. This experience led to a randomized trial for patients who by CT are staged to have resectable cancer of the pancreatic head with the intent to increase curative resectability and survival by neoadjuvant CRT (ISRCTN78805636/NCT00335543)