Surgery and radioembolization of liver tumors

Surgical resection is considered the curative treatment par excellence for patients with primary or metastatic liver tumors. However, less than 40% of them are candidates for surgery, either due to nonmodifiable factors (comorbidities, age, liver dysfunction. . .), or to the invasion or proximity of the tumor to the main vascular requirements, the lack of a future liver remnant (FLR) adequate to maintain postoperative liver function, or criteria oftumor size and number. In these lastfactors, hepatic radioembolization has been shown to play a role as a presurgical tool, either by hypertrophy of the FLR or by reducing tumor size that manages to reduce tumor staging (term known as downstaging ¨ ¨ ). To these is added a third factor, which is its ability to apply the test oftime, which makes it possible to identify those patients who present progression of the disease in a short period of time (both locally and at distance), avoiding a unnecessary surgery. This paper aims to review RE as a tool to facilitate liver surgery, both through the experience of our center and the available scientific evidence.La resección quirúrgica se considera eltratamiento curativo por excelencia para los pacientes con tumores hepáticos primarios o metastásicos. Sin embargo, menos del 40% de ellos son candidatos a cirugía, ya sea por factores no modificables (comorbilidades, edad, disfunción hepática. . .), como por la invasión o proximidad del tumor a los principales pedículos vasculares, la falta de un futuro remanente hepático (FRH) adecuado para mantener una función hepática postoperatoria, o criterios de tamano˜ y numero tumoral. En estos últimos factores, la radioembolización hepática ha mostrado tener un papel como herramienta prequirúrgica, ya sea mediante la hipertrofia del FRH o mediante la reducción del tamano˜ tumoral que consigue disminuir la estadificación tumoral (término conocido como “downstaging”). A estos se suma un tercer factor, que es su capacidad de aplicar el test del tiempo, que permite identificar aquellos pacientes que presenten en un plazo corto de tiempo progresión de la enfermedad (tanto a nivel local como a distancia), evitándoles una cirugía innecesaria. En este trabajo se pretende hacer una revisión de la RE como herramienta facilitadora de la cirugía hepática, tanto a través de la experiencia de nuestro centro como de la evidencia científica disponible

Association of laparoscopic surgery with improved perioperative and survival outcomes in patients with resectable intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: A systematic seview and meta-analysis from propensity-score matched studies

Background: Recent studies have associated laparoscopic surgery with better overall survival (OS) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM). The potential benefits of laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) over open liver resection (OLR) have not been demonstrated in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCC). Methods: A systematic review of the PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases was performed to search studies comparing OS and perioperative outcome for patients with resectable iCC. Propensity-score matched (PSM) studies published from database inception to May 1, 2022 were eligible. A frequentist, patient-level, one-stage meta-analysis was performed to analyze the differences in OS between LLR and OLR. Second, intraoperative, postoperative, and oncological outcomes were compared between the two approaches by using a random-effects DerSimonian-Laird model. Results: Six PSM studies involving data from 1.042 patients (530 OLR vs. 512 LLR) were included. LLR in patients with resectable iCC was found to significantly decrease the hazard of death (stratified hazard ratio [HR]: 0.795 [95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.638-0.992]) compared with OLR. Moreover, LLR appears to be significantly associated with a decrease in intraoperative bleeding (- 161.47 ml [95% CI - 237.26 to - 85.69 ml]) and transfusion (OR = 0.41 [95% CI 0.26-0.69]), as well as with a shorter hospital stay (- 3.16 days [95% CI - 4.98 to - 1.34]) and a lower rate of major (Clavien-Dindo ≥III) complications (OR = 0.60 [95% CI 0.39-0.93]). Conclusions: This large meta-analysis of PSM studies shows that LLR in patients with resectable iCC is associated with improved perioperative outcomes and, being conservative, yields similar OS outcomes compared with OLR

Surgery and radioembolization of liver tumors

Surgical resection is considered the curative treatment par excellence for patients with primary or metastatic liver tumors. However, less than 40% of them are candidates for surgery, either due to nonmodifiable factors (comorbidities, age, liver dysfunction. . .), or to the invasion or proximity of the tumor to the main vascular requirements, the lack of a future liver remnant (FLR) adequate to maintain postoperative liver function, or criteria oftumor size and number. In these lastfactors, hepatic radioembolization has been shown to play a role as a presurgical tool, either by hypertrophy of the FLR or by reducing tumor size that manages to reduce tumor staging (term known as downstaging ¨ ¨ ). To these is added a third factor, which is its ability to apply the test oftime, which makes it possible to identify those patients who present progression of the disease in a short period of time (both locally and at distance), avoiding a unnecessary surgery. This paper aims to review RE as a tool to facilitate liver surgery, both through the experience of our center and the available scientific evidence.La resección quirúrgica se considera eltratamiento curativo por excelencia para los pacientes con tumores hepáticos primarios o metastásicos. Sin embargo, menos del 40% de ellos son candidatos a cirugía, ya sea por factores no modificables (comorbilidades, edad, disfunción hepática. . .), como por la invasión o proximidad del tumor a los principales pedículos vasculares, la falta de un futuro remanente hepático (FRH) adecuado para mantener una función hepática postoperatoria, o criterios de tamano˜ y numero tumoral. En estos últimos factores, la radioembolización hepática ha mostrado tener un papel como herramienta prequirúrgica, ya sea mediante la hipertrofia del FRH o mediante la reducción del tamano˜ tumoral que consigue disminuir la estadificación tumoral (término conocido como “downstaging”). A estos se suma un tercer factor, que es su capacidad de aplicar el test del tiempo, que permite identificar aquellos pacientes que presenten en un plazo corto de tiempo progresión de la enfermedad (tanto a nivel local como a distancia), evitándoles una cirugía innecesaria. En este trabajo se pretende hacer una revisión de la RE como herramienta facilitadora de la cirugía hepática, tanto a través de la experiencia de nuestro centro como de la evidencia científica disponible

Association of laparoscopic surgery with improved perioperative and survival outcomes in patients with resectable intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: A systematic seview and meta-analysis from propensity-score matched studies

Background: Recent studies have associated laparoscopic surgery with better overall survival (OS) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM). The potential benefits of laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) over open liver resection (OLR) have not been demonstrated in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCC). Methods: A systematic review of the PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases was performed to search studies comparing OS and perioperative outcome for patients with resectable iCC. Propensity-score matched (PSM) studies published from database inception to May 1, 2022 were eligible. A frequentist, patient-level, one-stage meta-analysis was performed to analyze the differences in OS between LLR and OLR. Second, intraoperative, postoperative, and oncological outcomes were compared between the two approaches by using a random-effects DerSimonian-Laird model. Results: Six PSM studies involving data from 1.042 patients (530 OLR vs. 512 LLR) were included. LLR in patients with resectable iCC was found to significantly decrease the hazard of death (stratified hazard ratio [HR]: 0.795 [95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.638-0.992]) compared with OLR. Moreover, LLR appears to be significantly associated with a decrease in intraoperative bleeding (- 161.47 ml [95% CI - 237.26 to - 85.69 ml]) and transfusion (OR = 0.41 [95% CI 0.26-0.69]), as well as with a shorter hospital stay (- 3.16 days [95% CI - 4.98 to - 1.34]) and a lower rate of major (Clavien-Dindo ≥III) complications (OR = 0.60 [95% CI 0.39-0.93]). Conclusions: This large meta-analysis of PSM studies shows that LLR in patients with resectable iCC is associated with improved perioperative outcomes and, being conservative, yields similar OS outcomes compared with OLR

Surgery and radioembolization of liver tumors

Surgical resection is considered the curative treatment par excellence for patients with primary or metastatic liver tumors. However, less than 40% of them are candidates for surgery, either due to non-modifiable factors (comorbidities, age, liver dysfunction¿), or to the invasion or proximity of the tumor to the main vascular requirements, the lack of a future liver remnant (FLR) adequate to maintain postoperative liver function, or criteria of tumor size and number. In these last factors, hepatic radioembolization has been shown to play a role as a presurgical tool, either by hypertrophy of the FLR or by reducing tumor size that manages to reduce tumor staging (term known as "downstaging"). To these is added a third factor, which is its ability to apply the test of time, which makes it possible to identify those patients who present progression of the disease in a short period of time (both locally and at distance), avoiding a unnecessary surgery. This paper aims to review RE as a tool to facilitate liver surgery, both through the experience of our center and the available scientific evidence

Survival and safety after neoadjuvant chemotherapy or upfront surgery for locally advanced colon cancer: meta-analysis

Background: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is increasingly used to treat locally advanced (T3-4 Nx-2 M0) colon cancer due to its potential advantages over the standard approach of upfront surgery. The primary objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to analyse data from comparative studies to assess the impact of neoadjuvant chemotherapy on oncological outcomes. Methods: A systematic review was conducted by searching the MEDLINE and Scopus databases. The search encompassed RCTs, propensity score-matched studies, and controlled prospective studies published up to 1 April 2023. As a primary objective, overall survival and disease-free survival were compared. As a secondary objective, perioperative morbidity, mortality, and complete resection were compared using the DerSimonian and Laird models. Results: A total of seven studies comprising a total of 2120 patients were included. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy was associated with a reduction in the hazard of recurrence (HR 0.73, 95% c.i. 0.59 to 0.90; P = 0.003) and death (HR 0.67, 95% c.i. 0.54 to 0.83; P < 0.001) compared with upfront surgery. Additionally, neoadjuvant chemotherapy was significantly associated with higher 5-year overall survival (79.9% versus 72.6%; P < 0.001) and disease-free survival (73.1% versus 64.5%; P = 0.028) rates. No significant differences were observed in perioperative mortality (OR 0.97, 95% c.i. 0.28 to 3.33), overall complications (OR 0.95, 95% c.i. 0.77 to 1.16), or anastomotic leakage/intra-abdominal abscess (OR 0.88, 95% c.i. 0.60 to 1.29). However, neoadjuvant chemotherapy was associated with a lower risk of incomplete resection (OR 0.70, 95% c.i. 0.49 to 0.99). Conclusion: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is associated with a reduced hazard of recurrence and death, as well as improved overall survival and disease-free survival rates, compared with upfront surgery in patients with locally advanced colon cancer

Minimally invasive liver surgery for hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with portal hypertension

For patients with early stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), liver resection is a mainstay of curative treatment. Patients with a solitary tumour, Child–Pugh A cirrhosis and serum bilirubin of 1 mg/dl are considered ideal candidates for liver resection1,2 . For patients with portal hypertension, current guidelines recommend careful consideration of liver resection based on the hierarchical interaction of portal hypertension, liver function and resection extent1,3 . Open liver resection has been used in the majority of published studies on liver resection and portal hypertension. Although there is limited published experience of minimally invasive liver resection (MILR), using MILR in these patients appears to be associated with favourable outcomes4 . Particularly in patients with Child–Pugh A cirrhosis, but also in patients with more advanced cirrhosis5 , MILR offers significant advantages in the surgical treatment of HCC including reduced intraoperative bleeding, fewer complications and minimized surgical aggression, which improves recovery6,7 . If these benefits are also found in patients with portal hypertension, MILR may represent a step forward in the surgical treatment of patients with HCC and portal hypertension. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to summarize the intraoperative, postoperative and survival outcomes of MILR in patients with HCC and portal hypertension