A prospective analysis of staging laparoscopy in patients with primary and secondary hepatobiliary malignancies

Laparoscopy and laparoscopic ultrasound are used widely in cancer staging and are perceived to prevent unnecessary open exploration in many patients. The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of staging laparoscopy in improving resectability in patients with primary and secondary hepatobiliary malignancies. Over a 10-month period (November 1, 1997 to August 31, 1998), 186 patients with primary and secondary hepatobiliary cancers were submitted to operation for potentially curative resection. One hundred four patients staged laparoscopically (LAP) before laparotomy were compared prospectively to 82 patients undergoing exploration without laparoscopy (NO LAP). Assignment to each group was not random but was based on surgeon practice. Demographic data, diagnoses, the extent of preoperative evaluation, and the percentage of patients resected were similar in the two groups. Laparoscopy identified 26 (67%) of 39 patients with unresectable disease. In the NO LAP group, 28 patients (34%) had unresectable disease discovered at laparotomy. In patients with unresectable disease and submitted to biopsy only, the operating times were similar in the two groups (LAP 83 ±22 minutes vs. NO LAP 91 ±33 minutes; P = 0.4). However, laparoscopic staging significantly reduced the length of hospital stay (LAP 2.2 ±2 days vs. NO LAP 8.5 ±8.6 days; P = 0.006). Likewise, total hospital charges, normalized to 100 in the NO LAP patients, were significantly lower in the LAP group (LAP 54 ±42 vs. NO LAP 100 ±84; P = 0.02). Staging laparoscopy identified the majority of patients with unresectable hepatobiliary malignancies, significantly improved resectability, and reduced the number of days in the hospital and the total charges. The yield of laparoscopy was greatest for detecting peritoneal metastases (9 of 10), additional hepatic tumors (10 of 12), and unsuspected advanced cirrhosis (5 of 5) but often failed to identify nonresectability because of lymph node metastases, vascular involvement, or extensive biliary involvement. Eighty-three percent of patients subjected to laparotomy after laparoscopy underwent a potentially curative resection compared to 66% of those who were not staged laparoscopically. Supported in part by grants R01 CA76416 (Dr. Fong) and R01CA/DK80982 (Dr. Fong) from the National Institutes of Health. Presented at the Fortieth Annual Meeting of The Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, Orlando, Fla., May 16–19, 1999.     

The effects of staging laparoscopy on trocar site and peritoneal recurrence of pancreatic cancer

Background: Staging laparoscopy (SL) has been used to assess resectability of patients with pancreatic cancer. It has lead to increased resectability rates and decreased morbidity. However, experimental data suggests that laparoscopy and peritoneal insufflation can promote tumor growth and potential recurrence. Few clinical data exist to allow assessment of whether these theoretical concerns translate into clinical problems. The purpose of this study was to determine if SL increases the incidence of trocar-site and peritoneal recurrence of pancreatic cancer. Methods: A retrospective review of all patients evaluated for pancreatic cancer from 1996 to 2001, inclusive, was included in this study. Patients were divided into five groups: nonoperative management (NM), SL followed by resection (SL-R), SL without resection (SL-NR), exploratory laparotomy with resection (EL-R), and exploratory laparotomy without resection (EL-NR). Patient records were assessed for postoperative occurrence of carcinomatosis and/or malignant ascites, trocar- or incisional-site recurrence, use of postoperative chemotherapy or radiation therapy, and survival. Results: A total of 235 patients were included. Peritoneal progression of disease: NM 15.9%, SL 24.2%, EL 31.6% (p = 0.03). Trocar/incisional recurrence: SL 3.0%, EL 3.9% (p = NS). Use of chemotherapy/radiotherapy: NM 29.4%, SL-R 76.5%, SL-NR 62.5%, EL-R 69.6%, EL-NR 41.5%. Median survival (months): NM 3; SL-R 15, EL-R 10 (p = NS); SL-NR 6, EL-NR 5 (p = NS). Conclusion: SL does not increase the occurrence of trocar-site disease or peritoneal disease progression of pancreatic cancer. Patients who are found not to be resectable by SL are more likely to receive postoperative treatment. However, this does not appear to affect survival greatly. Nevertheless, avoidance of nontherapeutic laparotomy is worthwhile in these patients. Presented at the annual meeting of the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES), Los Angeles, CA, USA, 12–15 March 2003     

The role of staging laparoscopy for intraabdominal cancers: an evidence-based review

Diagnostic laparoscopy is minimally invasive surgery for the diagnosis of intraabdominal diseases. The aim of this review is a critical examination of the available literature on the role of laparoscopy for the staging of intraabdominal cancers. A systematic literature search of English-language articles on MEDLINE, the Cochrane database of evidence-based reviews, and the Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects was performed for the period 1995–2006. The level of evidence in the identified articles was graded. The search identified and reviewed seven main categories that have received attention in the literature: esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, pancreatic cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, biliary tract cancer, colorectal cancer, and lymphoma. The indications, contraindications, risks, benefits, diagnostic accuracy of the procedure, and its associated morbidity are discussed. The limitations of the available literature are highlighted, and evidence-based recommendations for the use of laparoscopy to stage intraabdominal cancers are provided.     

Role of staging laparoscopy in gastric malignancies - our institutional experience

AIM: To investigate the value of staging laparoscopy with laparoscopic ultrasound (LUS) and peritoneal lavage cytology in patients with newly-diagnosed gastric tumours in our department.METHODS: Retrospective review of prospectively-collected data was conducted in all patients with newly-diagnosed gastric tumours on oesophagogastroduode-noscopy between December 2003 and July 2008. All the patients had a pretreatment histological diagnosis and were discussed at the hospital multidisciplinary tumour board meeting for their definitive management. Computed tomography scan was performed in all patients as a part of standard preoperative staging work up. Staging laparoscopy was subsequently performed in selected patients and staging by both modalities was compared.RESULTS: Twenty seven patients were included. Majority of patients had cardio-oesophageal junction adenocarcinoma. Thirteen patients (48%) were up-staged following staging laparoscopy and one patient was downstaged (3.7%). None of the patients had procedure-related complications. None of the patients with metastasis detected at laparoscopy underwent laparotomy. Gastrectomy after staging laparoscopy was performed in 13 patients (9R0 resections, 3 R1 resections and 1 R2 resection). Only one patient did not have gastrectomy at laparotomy because of extensive local invasion. Three patients were subjected to neoadjuvant therapy following laparoscopy but only one patient subsequently underwent gastrectomy. CONCLUSION: In this small series reflecting our institutional experience, staging laparoscopy appears to be safe and more accurate in detecting peritoneal and omental metastases as compared to conventional imaging. Peritoneal cytology provided additional prognostic information although there appeared to be a high false negative rate.     

Utility of staging laparoscopy in subsets of biliary cancers

Background The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of staging laparoscopy in patients with biliary cancers in the era of modern diagnostic imaging. Methods From September 2002 through August 2004, 39 consecutive patients with potentially resectable cholangiocarcinoma underwent preoperative staging laparoscopy before laparotomy. Preoperative imaging included ultrasonography and triphasic computed tomography for all patients and magnetic resonance cholangiography in 35 patients (90%). Final pathological diagnosis included 20 hilar cholangiocarcinomas (HC), 11 intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas (IHC), and eight gallbladder carcinomas (GBC). Results During laparoscopy, unresectable disease was found in 14/39 patients (36%). The main causes of unresectability were peritoneal carcinomatosis (11/14) and liver metastases (5/14). At laparotomy, nine patients (37%) were found to have advanced disease precluding resection. Vascular invasion and nodal metastases were the main causes of unresectability during laparotomy (eight out of nine). In detecting peritoneal metastases and liver metastases, laparoscopy had an accuracy of 92 and 71%, respectively. All patients with vascular or nodal involvement were missed by laparoscopy. For prediction of unresectability disease, the yield and accuracy of laparoscopy were highest for GBC (62% yield and 83% accuracy), followed by IHC (36% yield and 67% accuracy) and HC (25% yield and 45% accuracy) Conclusion Staging laparoscopy ensured that unnecessary laparotomy was not performed in 36% of patients with potentially resectable biliary carcinoma after extensive preoperative imaging. In patients with biliary carcinoma that appears resectable, staging laparoscopy allows detection of peritoneal and liver metastasis in one third of patients. Both vascular and lymph nodes invasions were not diagonsed by this procedure. Due to these limitations, laparoscopy is more useful in ruling out dissemination in GBC and IHC than in HC.     

Gallbladder metastasis from hepatocellular carcinoma: Report of a case and review of literature

INTRODUCTIONThe incidence of metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) to the gallbladder is low. Here, we report a case of HCC with metastasis to the gallbladder and discuss the pattern of spread and the treatment.PRESENTATION OF CASEA 74-year-old man was diagnosed with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a tumor in the right lobe of the liver with a thrombus in the bifurcation of the portal vein. Because intraoperative ultrasonography showed portal vein tumor thrombosis from the main tumor reaching the umbilical portion, we performed only a cholecystectomy for the elimination of postoperative cholecystitis. Pathological examination showed gallbladder vein tumor thrombosis from poorly differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma.DISCUSSIONA preoperative diagnosis of metastatic HCC to the gallbladder is difficult because there are no specific findings in the imaging tests. Cancer cells in the liver were thought to migrate to the gallbladder via the connection between the portal system and the cholecystic veins, and grow in the lumen of the veins in our case. The survival rate, in all reported cases including the present case, was increased in patients who underwent radical resection, compared to patients who underwent palliative surgery.CONCLUSIONThe resection of metastatic HCC to the gallbladder might appear to prolong survival.     

Diagnostic laparoscopy and laparoscopic ultrasonography optimize the staging and resectability of intraabdominal neoplasms

BACKGROUND: Despite technical improvements, preoperative imaging studies often fail to predict intraoperative findings. We investigated the potential use of diagnostic laparoscopy (DL) and laparoscopic ultrasonography (LUS) for the assessment of disease in patients with abdominal neoplasms. METHODS: Fifty consecutive patients with abdominal neoplasms underwent spiral computed tomography with oral and intravenous contrast using 5-mm contiguous sections. In addition, eight patients underwent ultrasonography, six underwent magnetic resonance imaging, and eight underwent positron emission tomography. All patients then underwent DL and LUS using a 7.5-MHz ultrasound probe. RESULTS: There were 29 men and 21 women with a mean age of 63 years (range, 35-84). Most had a diagnosis of colorectal cancer (19 cases), melanoma (12 cases), or hepatoma (five cases). In nine cases (18%), DL revealed peritoneal metastatic implants not shown on preoperative images. In 18 cases (36%), LUS was more accurate than preoperative imaging. Combined DL and LUS findings radically changed the operative management in 16 patients (32%). CONCLUSION: As compared with preoperative imaging, the combination of DL and LUS provides more accurate information regarding staging and resectability. Moreover, it helps to determine the extent of operation and reduces the number of unnecessary laparotomies. DL and LUS should be used as an adjunct to preoperative imaging studies in patients with primary or metastatic intraabdominal neoplasms.     

不同分期方法在胆囊癌疗效评估中的价值

目的 探讨不同分期方法对胆囊癌疗效的评估价值.方法 回顾性分析1992年10月至2006年12月上海交通大学附属新华医院手术治疗的132例胆囊癌患者的临床资料,按照胆囊癌Nevin分期、AJCC第5版分期、AJCC第6版分期方法统计各患者的临床分期及各期胆囊癌的术后生存率.生存分析采用Kaplan-Meier法,组间比较采用Log-rank检验.结果 按照Nevin分期统计的Ⅰ、Ⅱ、Ⅲ、Ⅳ、Ⅴ期的累积生存率分别为80.3%、75.6%、43.2%、16.2%、6.5%,Ⅰ、Ⅱ、Ⅲ期的累积生存率显著高于Ⅳ、Ⅴ期(χ~2=7.239、6.152、3.992,12.354、13.171、15.084,P＜0.05).按照AJCC第5版分期统计的Ⅰ、Ⅱ、Ⅲ、Ⅳ期的累积生存率分别为71.4%、40.9%、10.2%、5.8%,Ⅰ、Ⅱ期生存率显著高于Ⅲ、Ⅳ期(χ~2=18.286、23.729,5.541、13.607,P＜0.05),Ⅲ期生存率显著高于Ⅳ期(χ~2=7.758,P＜0.05).按照AJCC第6版分期统计的Ⅰ、Ⅱ、Ⅲ、Ⅳ期的累积生存率分别为51.1%、11.7%、8.2%、6.5%,Ⅰ、Ⅱ期生存率相对较低,但Ⅰ期生存率显著高于Ⅱ、Ⅲ、Ⅳ期(χ~2=15.300,21.956,31.397,P＜0.05),Ⅱ期生存率显著高于Ⅳ期(χ~2=8.789,P＜0.05),而Ⅱ期与Ⅲ期没有差别,Ⅲ期与Ⅳ期没有差别.结论 AJCC第5版分期仍足较理想的胆囊癌分期方法,Nevin分期不够完整,AJCC第6版分期过于严格.     

腹腔镜在胰腺肿瘤诊断和分期中的价值

目的:总结胰腺肿瘤剖腹手术前先行腹腔镜探查的价值。方法:对12例经B超和CT诊断或怀疑为胰腺肿瘤的病人,在剖腹手术前先行腹腔镜探查,其中2例联合使用腹腔镜超声检查(LUS)。结果:1例CT诊断疑为胰头肿瘤伴少量腹水者,腹腔镜明确为原发性腹膜炎,作冲洗引流而愈。2例影像学检查见胰体尾增厚,怀疑胰腺肿瘤者,腹腔镜检查未见明显异常,再作LUS检查,1例为胰腺囊肿,另1例未见异常。9例腹腔镜检查确诊为胰腺恶性肿瘤病人中,3例明确已有远处转移,从而避免了开腹;另6例腹腔镜探查提示可以切除,结果其中1例由于肠系膜血管被肿瘤包绕而无法切除,余5例(5/9=55.6%)进行了根治性切除。腹腔镜探查在评估胰腺癌不可切除性的敏感性为75%,特异性为100%,阳性预测值为100%,阴性预测值为83.3%。结论:腹腔镜探查可发现影像学检查不能发现的腹膜转移,结合腹腔镜超声检查可提高胰腺肿瘤诊断、分期的准确性,使部分病人避免了不必要的剖腹手术。     

Pre-hepatectomy prognostic staging to determine treatment strategy for colorectal cancer metastases to the liver

Background Attempts at identifying prognostic factors after hepatectomy in patients with colorectal liver metastases have not achieved consensus. We investigated prognostic factors ascertainable before hepatectomy for colorectal metastasis.Method Clinicopathological data for 149 consecutive patients with colorectal cancer who underwent curative resection of primary lesions and metastatic liver disease at one institution were subjected to multivariate analysis concerning metastatic status and the primary lesion.Results Poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma or mucinous carcinoma as the primary tumor (Poor/muc; P=0.026), marked vascular invasion by the primary tumor (V; P=0.002), bi-lobar liver metastases (P=0.048), and short doubling time (DT) of the liver tumor (P=0.028) were characteristics assessable before hepatectomy that independently indicated poorer survival. A four-stage classification based on these factors was related to overall (P<0.01) and disease-free (P<0.01) survival rates. No pattern of recurrence site was evident in stage I (patients with no risk factor). Recurrence was usually extrahepatic in stage IV (patients with Poor/muc) but favored the remnant liver in stage II (patients with bi-lobar metastases or short DT) or III (patients with V; P=0.037). Stage III showed more multiple and early hepatic recurrences than stage II, and repeat hepatectomy was less frequent (P<0.05).Conclusion Pre-hepatectomy prognostic staging should help to guide treatment of liver metastases.     

Laparoscopy alone is superior to peritoneal cytology in staging gastric and esophageal carcinoma

Background Laparoscopy identifies metastatic disease in patients with upper gastrointestinal malignancies; however, it has been suggested that cytological examination of peritoneal washings may increase the diagnostic yield. We hypothesize that the addition of cytologic washings to a standardized staging laparoscopy is unnecessary for the identification of intraabdominal metastasis in patients with gastric/esophageal cancer.Methods Forty patients with gastric/esophageal cancer were prospectively evaluated. Patients successfully underwent a diagnostic laparoscopy protocol (with biopsies) during which peritoneal washings were obtained and processed for cytologic analysis. Laparoscopic versus cytologic identification of intraabdominal metastasis were compared.Results Forty patients successfully completed laparoscopy with collection of peritoneal washings. Laparoscopic examination of the peritoneal cavity upstaged 21 (52.5%) patients. Laparoscopic examination consistently identified a statistically significant higher number of positive patients than cytologic examination of peritoneal washings (p = 0.001) and examination of cytologic washings alone failed to identify 45% of patients with positive findings and laparoscopy. The addition of cytologic examination added no additional stage IV patients to the laparoscopy-negative group.Conclusion A standardized laparoscopic examination alone is sufficient for the identification of intraabdominal metastatic disease in patients with gastric and esophageal cancer.Paper presented at the ninth World Congress of Endoscopic Surgery/Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES), Los Angeles, CA, USA, March 2003     

不同肝癌分期方法对肝癌肝切除患者预后价值的比较研究

目的 比较CLIP评分、JIS评分、2001年中国肝癌分期对肝细胞癌肝切除术后患者预后的判断能力,探讨其在我国肝癌患者人群中的临床应用价值.方法 回顾性分析2000年1月至2005年7月经手术切除的肝细胞癌病例的临床病理及随访资料.利用病例构成比、Kaplan-Meier生存曲线分别比较各种分期方法的病例分层能力、组间生存差异识别能力和对早期患者的鉴别能力.采用似然比卡方检验(LR x2)和线性趋势卡方检验(line trend x2)评估各分期系统的同质性、判别力和梯度单一性.利用COX比例风险模型计算不同分期对模型预后预测价值的贡献大小.结果 病例构成比:中国分期Ⅰ a、Ⅰ b、Ⅱ a、Ⅱ b、Ⅲa组病例分别占全部病例的14.3%、17.4%、21.9%、31.7%、14.7%,各期分布均匀、分层能力突出.CLIP评分中0-2分占全部病例数的81.6%,早期患者比例较大,分层能力不足.JIS评分中0分组仅有3.1%,提示病例分层能力不足.生存曲线比较:CLIP评分2分与3分间的生存率差异无统计学意义.JIS评分和中国分期各分组间生存率两两比较,差异均有统计学意义.JIS评分和中国分期对早期患者的鉴别能力较强.而CLIP评分对预后较差患者的识别能力较强.分期的同质性、单调性、梯度单一性比较:中国分期>CLIP评分>JIS评分.对模型预后预测价值的独立贡献大小比较:中国分期>CLIP评分>JIS评分.结论 在我国肝癌肝切除患者人群中,2001年肝癌中国分期的预后价值优于CLIP评分和JIS评分.CLIP评分对中晚期肝癌患者的识别能力优于JIS评分和中国分期.

Abstract：

Objective To compare the CLIP score, the JIS score, and the China staging system (CS) in the prediction of survival of patients with resectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods The Clinicopathologic and follow-up data of 224 patients who underwent hepatic resection for HCC from January 2000 to July 2005 were retrospectively studied. The patient distribution and the survival curve of each staging system were used to compare the ability to stratify and to discriminate prognosis. The likelihood ratio, chi-square test and the linear trend chi-square test were used to compare the homogeneity and the monotonicity of the relationship between stage and mortality rate of each staging system. The increase in the -2 log likelihood statistic on removal of any one staging system was in turn used as a means of ranking the individual staging systems according to their importance within the regression model. The statistical package used was SPSS version 16. 0 and Stata SE version 8.0. Results Based on the China staging system, the percentages of patients categorized as Ⅰa, Ⅰ b, Ⅱa,Ⅱb and Ⅲ a were 14. 3%, 17.4%, 21.9%, 31.7% and 14. 7% respectively, showing excellent stratification ability. However, nearly 81. 6% of the patients were classified as a CLIP score of 0-2, which showed poor stratification ability, and only 3. 1 % of the patients were classified as score 0 category of the JIS scoring system. In the follow-up period, the log-rank test and the corresponding Kaplan-Meier survival curves confirmed each staging system to be able to differentiate patient survival in the different stages. Individual pairwise comparisons revealed inconsistencies across the different staging systems. In particular, using the log-rank test, the JIS scoring system and the China staging system showed significant differences in patient survival on all pairwise comparisons. By contrast, the CLIP scoring system failed to differentiate significantly between score 2 and score 3 patients. The JIS scoring system could identify the best prognostic group who would benefit from curative and aggressive treatments, whereas the discriminatory value of the CLIP score was noted in the intermediate- and advanced-phase HCC patients. The China staging system was shown to have the best homogeneity, overall discriminatory capacity and monotonicity of gradient. The change in the -2 log likelihood statistic on removal of any staging system revealed that for this cohort of patients, the appropriate importance in the ranking of the independent contribution of each factor to the regression model was: CS> CLIP>JIS. Conclusion Among three clinical staging systems, the China staging system had the highest prognostic value, with better stratification and higher discriminatory capacity than the CLIP scoring system and the JIS scoring system for this cohort of patients who received partial hepatectomy for HCC. The CLIP scoring system performed better in identifying the worst prognostic patients.     

Resection of a Solitary Pancreatic Metastasis from Renal Cell Carcinoma with a Gallbladder Carcinoma: Report of a Case

Most metastatic pancreatic tumors are detected at an advanced stage and are not considered suitable for surgery; however, resection is sometimes indicated for a solitary pancreatic metastasis from renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and improves the prognosis. We report such a case, in which the hilar liver was resected with lymph node dissection and distal pancreatectomy. Histological examination revealed regional lymph node metastasis of gallbladder carcinoma (GBC), but all the surgical margins were free of cancer. Postoperative extra-beam radiation therapy was delivered to the hepatic portal lesion to prevent GBC recurrence. The patient remains disease-free 14 months after the completion of radiation therapy. Thus, if all affected areas can be resected, the prognosis associated with pancreatic metastasis from RCC may be favorable.     

Evaluation of the role of laparoscopic ultrasonography in the staging of oesophagogastric cancers

Introduction  The role of laparoscopic ultrasound (LUS) during staging laparoscopy for pancreatic cancers is established but remains debatable in evaluating oesophagogastric cancers. Methods  A retrospective consecutive case series consisting of patients undergoing staging laparoscopy in two centres (centre A and B) was carried out over a 5-year period (2000–2005). Patients in centre B underwent LUS following laparoscopic assessment using a 7.5-MHz probe. Staging laparoscopy in both centres was performed using a standardised three-port protocol using a 30° laparoscope. All suspicious lesions were sent for histological assessment for confirmation of malignancy. Results  There were 201 patients in centre A (83 gastric, 138 lower oesophageal/junctional cancers) and 119 patients in centre B (51 and 68, respectively). There were no differences between the two centres for patient demographics and tumour site. There was no difference between the two centres for the detection of metastatic disease using laparoscopic assessment alone (A 13% versus B 20%, p = 0.12). However, there was a significant difference (13% versus 28%, p = 0.001) with the additional use of LUS in centre B. The findings in the additional 8% (n = 9) were para-aortic lymphadenopathy (n = 5), liver metastasis (n = 3) and local extension (n = 1). Five had gastric and four lower oesophageal/junctional cancers. The negative predictive value was 6.4% for centre A and 4.5% for centre B. Conclusion  The addition of LUS increased the detection rate of metastasis by 8% but there was little impact on the false-negative rate. LUS is useful in detecting metastatic lymphadenopathy beyond the limits of curative resection and liver metastasis.     

肝胆恶性肿瘤患者胆汁中病原菌分布及耐药性分析

肝胆恶性肿瘤患者经常并发胆道感染,须进行经验性抗感染治疗.为了解患者胆道感染的病原菌分布和耐药情况,我们对浙江省金华广福医院2005-2012年肝胆恶性肿瘤患者的胆汁培养结果进行回顾性分析,以期能为临床上抗菌药物的选择和治疗提供依据.     

Preoperative evaluation of hepatic lesions for the staging of hepatocellular and metastatic liver carcinoma using endoscopic ultrasonography

BACKGROUND: Noninvasive imaging techniques, such as dynamic computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging and transabdominal ultrasonography are limited in their ability to detect hepatic lesions less than one cm. Intraoperative ultrasonography (IOUS) is currently the most sensitive modality for the detection of small hepatic lesions. However, IOUS is invasive requiring laparoscopy or formal laparotomy. We sought to evaluate the feasibility of using endoscopic ultrasonograhpy (EUS) for the detection and diagnosis of hepatic masses in patients with hepatocellular cancer (HCCA) and metastatic lesions (ML). We hypothesized that EUS could detect small (<1.0 cm) hepatic lesions undetectable by CT scan and could be used for biopsy of deep-seated hepatic lesions. METHODS: Consecutive patients referred for EUS with suspected liver lesions were evaluated between July 2000 and October 2001. All patients underwent EUS using an Olympus (EM30) radial echoendoscope. If liver lesions were confirmed and fine needle aspiration (FNA) was deemed necessary, a linear array scope was used and an FNA performed with a 22-gauge needle. Two passes were made for each lesion. RESULTS: 14 patients underwent evaluation with dynamic CT scans and EUS. In all 14 patients, EUS successfully identified hepatic lesions ranging in size from 0.3 cm to 14 cm (right lobe: n = 3, left lobe: n = 1, bilobar: n = 8). Moreover, EUS identified new or additional lesions in 28% (4 of 14) of the patients, all less than 0.5 cm in size (HCCA: n = 2, ML: n = 2), influencing the clinical management. In 2 of 14 patients EUS identified liver lesions, previously described as suspicious by CT scan, to be hemangiomas. Nine patients underwent EUS-guided FNA of hepatic lesions (deep seated: n = 3, superficial: n = 6). All FNA passes yielded adequate specimens (malignant: n = 8, benign: n = 1). CONCLUSIONS: Our preliminary experience suggests that EUS is a feasible preoperative staging tool for liver masses suspected to be HCCA or metastatic lesions. EUS can detect small hepatic lesions previously undetected by dynamic CT scans. Furthermore, EUS-guided FNA can confirm additional HCCA liver lesions or liver metastases, in deep-seated locations, upstaging patients and changing clinical management.     

The role of laparoscopy in preoperative staging of esophageal cancer

Background: Diagnostic laparoscopy has been used to determine resectability and to prevent unnecessary laparotomy in patients with advanced esophageal cancer. The objective of this prospective study was to evaluate the role of laparoscopy in conjunction with computed tomography (CT) scan in staging patients with esophageal cancer. Methods: From March 1995 to October 1998, 59 patients with biopsy-proven esophageal cancer underwent diagnostic laparoscopy with concurrent vascular access device and feeding jejunostomy tube placement. Results: Laparoscopy changed the treatment plan in 10 of 59 patients (17%). Of the patients with normal-appearing regional or celiac nodes, 78% were confirmed by biopsy to be tumor free, whereas 76% of patients with abnormal-appearing nodes were confirmed by biopsy to have node-positive disease. Conclusions: Diagnostic laparoscopy is useful for detecting and confirming nodal involvement and distant metastatic disease that potentially would alter treatment and prognosis in patients with esophageal cancer. Received: 16 May 1999/Accepted: 10 November 1999/Online publication: 24 March 2000     

Role of artificial intelligence in hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery

Over the past decade, enhanced preoperative imaging and visualization, improved delineation of the complex anatomical structures of the liver and pancreas, and intra-operative technological advances have helped deliver the liver and pancreatic surgery with increased safety and better postoperative outcomes. Artificial intelligence (AI) has a major role to play in 3D visualization, virtual simulation, augmented reality that helps in the training of surgeons and the future delivery of conventional, laparoscopic, and robotic hepatobiliary and pancreatic (HPB) surgery; artificial neural networks and machine learning has the potential to revolutionize individualized patient care during the preoperative imaging, and postoperative surveillance. In this paper, we reviewed the existing evidence and outlined the potential for applying AI in the perioperative care of patients undergoing HPB surgery.     

Controversies in staging of hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary cancer of the liver. As the natural history of HCC is better delineated, treatment strategies are in constant evolution. Classic staging systems based on histopathology following resection are often inadequate because the majority of patients present with advanced disease. The dissatisfaction with anatomic staging systems has resulted in the emergence of several new clinical staging systems, which attempt to integrate tumor biology and the underlying function of the nondiseased liver. Tragically, the byproduct of multiple staging strategies is confusion for physicians, patients, and clinical researchers; this undermines the principles on which staging systems are created. To address this issue, a consensus conference was organized in 2002 to identify the best staging strategy for HCC. The purpose of this article is to review the current clinical and pathologic staging strategies and to highlight the recommendations from the consensus conference.