Pancreaticoduodenectomy for malignancies in children

Purpose

Malignant tumors of the common bile duct or of the pancreas head are uncommon in childhood [Perez EA, Gutierrez JC, Koniaris LG, Neville HL, Thompson WR, Sola JE. Malignant pancreatic tumors: incidence and outcome in 58 pediatric patients. J Pediatr Surg. 2009; Jan; 44 (1): 197–203]. With radical surgery being the standard cure for nonmetastatic diseases, pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) is the best choice when the tumor is localized in the head of the pancreas, or in the lower portion of the common bile duct. The purpose of the present study is to describe five consecutive children managed by PD, and reviewing the particular aspects and results of this rare procedure in children.

Methods

Between 2007 and 2010, five patients (median age: 7 years) underwent PD for nonmetastatic malignant tumors. In two cases, PD was performed en bloc with a right hepatectomy in order to achieve the radical resection of a recurrent biliary sarcoma. Four patients benefited from a “pylorus-preserving” PD procedure. In two patients, resection of the portal vein and vascular reconstruction was performed, and in one case, an extended resection of the biliary ductal system was necessary.

Results

All resection margins were clear. The postoperative course was uneventful, with no pancreatic or biliary leakage in all of the patients. Oral refeeding was achieved by the eighth postoperative day. In two cases, a late revision of pancreatic–jejunal anastomosis was performed because of mild steatorrea and a suspected anastomotic stricture. Two of the patients, who were subsequently operated on second hand, for biliary sarcoma, died from the recurrence; while three of the others, with pancreatic malignancies, are alive and well, with a good functional outcome.

Conclusions

Surgical resection is the treatment of choice for tumors of the pancreatic head area. In the absence of regional or metastatic extension, the radicality of primary intervention is associated with favorable outcomes. Good functionality results were observed after the PD was limited to the head of the pancreas and subject to pylorus-preserving techniques.     

Survivin在造血系统肿瘤中的研究进展

Survivin是一种新的凋亡抑制蛋白(inhibitor of apoptosisprotein，IAP)，具有细胞周期调控和凋亡抑制双重功能。在多种造血系统肿瘤组织中高表达，与诊断、预后和耐药密切相关。利用survivin致敏的树突状细胞疫苗、survivin反义核酸及Survivin阴性突变体可有效抑制肿瘤细胞生长，为采用生物学策略治疗造血系统肿瘤开辟了新途径.本综述重点阐述了survivin在造血系统肿瘤中的表达，survivin与造血系统肿瘤预后和耐药的关系及survivin在造血系统肿瘤治疗中的应用。     

Delayed Complications after Anterior Craniofacial Resection of Malignant Skull Base Tumors

Objective To report complications occurring at least 6 months after completion of treatment for patients with anterior skull base malignancy undergoing anterior craniofacial resection (CFR). Design Retrospective review of medical records of all patients undergoing traditional CFR for treatment of anterior skull base malignancy from 2002 through 2011. Setting Massachusetts General Hospital/Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary Cranial Base Center. Participants Thirty-one consecutive patients who had at least 18 months of follow-up for analysis were reviewed. All patients underwent traditional CFR. A total of 28 patients received postoperative proton beam radiation therapy. Eleven patients received adjuvant chemotherapy. Main Outcome Measures A delayed complication was any complication occurring at least 6 months after the completion of treatment. Results Seventeen patients had delayed complications. Orbital complications were the most common type (13 patients) followed by issues with wound healing (6 patients). The most common orbital complication was epiphora (7 patients). The most common wound complication was a nasocutaneous fistula (5 patients). Conclusions Patients with anterior skull malignancy can develop complications months to years after the completion of treatment. Therefore, it is important to continue to follow and report complications for several years when deciding on the optimal approach for treatment of these patients.     

The role of mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors in the management of post‐transplant malignancy

Post‐transplant malignancies, which occur either de novo or as cancer recurrences, are due to chronic exposure to immunosuppressive agents and are often more aggressive than those that develop in the non‐transplant setting. Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors have antitumor and immunosuppressive effects. The dual effects of this class of agents may provide adequate immunosuppression to prevent organ rejection while simultaneously reducing the risk of post‐transplant malignancy. mTOR inhibitors have become established approved agents for treating renal cell carcinoma and other cancers and, as reviewed herein, accumulating experience among organ transplant recipients collectively points toward a potential to prevent the development of de novo malignancies of various types in the post‐transplant period. To date, most research efforts surrounding mTOR inhibitors and cancer control in the transplant population have been in the area of skin cancer prevention, but there have also been interesting observations regarding regression of post‐transplant Kaposi's sarcoma and post‐transplantation lymphoproliferative disorder that warrant further study.     

Death within the first year after kidney transplantation – an observational cohort study

The risk of death within the first year postkidney transplantation is not well described in the contemporary era. We extracted data on all kidney transplant procedures performed in England between April 2001 and March 2012. Data linkage analysis was performed between Hospital Episode Statistics and the Office for National Statistics to identify all deaths. Cox proportional hazard models were performed to identify factors associated with 1‐year mortality. 566 deaths (3.0%) occurred within the first year post‐transplant (from 19 103 kidney transplant procedures analysed). Infection, cardiovascular events and malignancy were classified in 21.6%, 18.3% and 7.4% of death certificates, respectively. Among recipients with prior myocardial infarct history who died within the first year, 38.8% of deaths were attributed to a cardiac‐related event. Malignancy‐related death was responsible for 61.5% of 1‐year mortality for allograft recipients with pretransplant cancer history. 22.1% of deaths included kidney failure as a contributory factor on the death certificate (3.3% specifically stated allograft failure). Variables associated with 1‐year mortality included deceased‐donor kidney, increasing age, residence in socioeconomically deprived area and history of select medical comorbidities pre‐operatively. We conclude 1‐year mortality postkidney transplantation is low, but in select allograft recipients, the risk of death increases considerably.     

600例上消化道恶性肿瘤微创治疗的临床研究

目的观察进展期食管癌及胃癌内镜下微创治疗的疗效。方法将600例不能手术或不愿意手术的进展期食管癌及胃癌患者随机分成三组。200例患者给予微创治疗联合全身化疗；200例患者给予微创治疗；200例患者给予全身化疗。治疗过程中观察患者的治疗疗效、生存期、转移情况及不良反应。结果微创治疗组治疗有效率为77．0％；微创联合化疗组，治疗有效率为89．5％；全身化疗组治疗有效率为21．5％。微创治疗组较化疗组治疗效果两者间差异有显著性（P〈0.05）。微创联合化疗能提高微创治疗的效果。微创治疗组生存期30个月．微创联合化疗组生存期35个月，化疗组生存期16个月。原发灶转移率组相差不大。结论微创治疗在上消化道进展期恶性肿瘤治疗中有较好的临床疗效，联合全身化疗能提高临床治疗效果。