Laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer: safe and effective? – A systematic review

Objective To determine the clinical effectiveness of laparoscopic and laparoscopically assisted surgery in comparison with open surgery for the treatment of colorectal cancer. Background Open resection is the standard method for surgical removal of primary colorectal tumours. However, there is significant morbidity associated with this procedure. Laparoscopic resection (LR) is technically more difficult but may overcome problems associated with open resections (OR). Methods Systematic review and meta-analysis of short- and long-term data from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing LS with OR. Results Highly sensitive searches of nine databases identified 19 primary RCTs describing data from over 4,500 participants. Length of hospital stay is shorter, blood loss and pain are less, and return to usual activities is likely to be faster after LR than after OR, but duration of operation is longer. Lymph node retrieval, completeness of resection and quality of life do not appear to differ. No statistically significant differences were observed in rates of anastomotic leakage, abdominal wound breakdown, incisional hernia, wound and urinary tract infections, operative and 30-day mortality, and recurrences, nor in overall and disease-free survival up to three years. Conclusions LR is associated with a quicker recovery in terms of return to usual activities and length of hospital stay with no evidence of a difference in complications or long-term outcomes in comparison to OR, up to three years postoperatively. Sources of support: This study was supported by the NHS R&D HTA programme. The Health Services Research Unit and the Health Economics Research Unit are funded by the Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Executive Health Department. The views expressed here are those of the authors.     

Robotic surgery in urology: fact or fantasy?

Advanced robotic surgery was first introduced into urology in 2000. The first studies showed the feasibility and safety of the daVinci (Intuitive Surgical Inc., Sunnyvale, CA) telemanipulator assistance in radical prostatectomy, pelvi-ureteric junction obstruction, and radical cystectomy and neobladder formation. The miniature endowristed tools offer a potential advantage over standard laparoscopy in the accuracy of preparation and suturing. Other features are a three-dimensional vision system and unimpaired hand-eye coordination. Complex laparoscopic tasks are learned faster by using the robot, which may also explain the shorter training required for radical prostatectomy than for manual laparoscopy. This new and expensive technology has spread rapidly over the last 4 years. By 2004, approximately 10% of radical prostatectomies in the USA will be robot-assisted. Data on the functional and oncological outcomes are accruing but not yet conclusive. There will be a further spread of robotic surgery, routine telesurgery, smaller and more affordable systems, the introduction of virtual reality, all developments which have the potential to urological surgeons to improve.     

The role of recombinant activated factor VII in neurosurgery: hope or hype?

Recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa) is a relatively new pharmaceutical agent developed for use in patients with hemophilia in whom inhibitors to clotting factors VIII or IX have developed. Use of this drug has become common in recent years because of its efficacy and safety in patients with coagulation disorders as well as in patients who are at high risk for thromboembolism, even when other means of establishing hemostasis have failed. The use of rFVIIa in neurosurgery has lagged behind its use in other fields, although there is a growing body of literature on such uses. In this article the authors review the history and science of rFVIIa as well as dosing and safety information. Various uses pertinent to the neurosurgeon are reviewed, including the treatment of patients with coagulation disorders, those suffering trauma, and those with perioperative hemorrhage, intracerebral hemorrhage, or subarachnoid hemorrhage. Based on their review of the uses of rFVIIa, the authors conclude that rFVIIa is a safe and effective agent with the potential to revolutionize the treatment of neurosurgical patients with hemorrhage. Cost is a major impediment to the widespread use of rFVIIa, and there is some evidence that its use in the neurosurgical population may be subject to higher risk than in other populations studied thus far. Although further study is needed to better delineate the safety and efficacy of the drug in many nonlicensed uses, it is clear that rFVIIa is an agent with tremendous promise.     

Prostate cancer stem cell therapy: hype or hope?

The stem cell concept of cancer suggests that each cancer contains a small fraction of stem cells responsible for the maintenance and progression of the disease. The implication of this concept is that by targeting and killing the cancer stem cells, it may be possible to improve survival or even cure the disease. Prostate cancer stem cell therapy is a valid goal to aim for, but there are massive hurdles to overcome, even if the concept is shown to be correct.     

Asymmetrical dimethylarginine in renal disease: limits of variation or variation limits? A systematic review

Asymmetrical dimethylarginine (ADMA), an endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase, is increasingly recognized as a putative biomarker in cardiovascular and renal disease. Elevated plasma levels of ADMA are the consequence of increased synthesis, reduced renal clearance or reduced enzymatic degradation. Based upon the metabolic fate the highest plasma concentrations of ADMA have been reported in patients with renal failure in whom this molecule accumulates. However, the range of published ADMA levels in patients with chronic renal failure as well as in patients with end-stage renal failure undergoing maintenance hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis or kidney transplant recipients is widely scattered and overlaps with the levels reported in healthy individuals. This wide distribution can in part be explained by different bioanalytical techniques and the lack of standardization of such assays. This review summarizes available literature on ADMA in patients with kidney disease and stresses the urgent need for a consensus regarding reference values for different analytical methods in order to appreciate the prognostic significance of elevated ADMA levels. At present, one cannot advocate this molecule for risk assessment or individual patient prognosis in the clinical work-up of patients with renal impairment.     

Is the use of augmented reality-assisted surgery beneficial in urological education? A systematic review

Background:Google Glass is an optical head-mounted display that has been used in multiple medical and surgical settings to enhance delivery of education and training. This systematic review focuses solely on the use of this technology in urology operating theaters for the purpose of surgical education.Materials and methods:A systematic search strategy was employed using EMBASE (1996–2019), Medline (1946–2019) and PubMed. Search terms included optical head-mounted displays, Google Glass and urological surgical training. Use of this technology in a nonurological setting, nonteaching sessions, case reports, reviews, editorials, abstracts, and articles not in English were rejected. Three studies were identified following the exclusion criteria.Results:All 3 studies received positive feedback from trainees regarding this technology in relation to enhanced surgical education. In addition, in all studies the trainees felt the technology had a place for educational training in the future. All studies described disadvantages to the technology as well including battery life, comfort, and cost.Conclusions:Studies describe a big potential for Google Glass and similar head-mounted devices for the role of surgical training in urology, however, larger studies looking at more varied operations can help reinforce this viewpoint.     

Positive anterior margins in breast conserving surgery: Does it matter? A systematic review of the literature

Positive margins are associated with an increased risk of ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR); therefore re-excision of positive margins is recommended. Involvement of anatomically non-breast margins, such as anterior margins, has been associated to a lower risk of IBTR than radial margins. Although many surgeons do not re-excise positive anterior margins (PAM); there is no consensus regarding this approach. The objective of this study is to find evidence that assesses this practice.A systemic literature review was performed through six databases from January 1995 to July 2014. Studies that discussed anatomical location of involved margins in BCS were included.Six studies were identified evaluating PAM. One study reported a 2.5% rate of IBTR in patients with non-negative margins treated with radiotherapy (of which 23% had a PAM). Another study showed 4% of residual disease after re-excision of PAM, but did not report IBTR rates. A later observational study reported that 87.5% of positive anterior and posterior margins were re-excised. One survey from America and one from the UK showed that 47% and 71% of surgeons would not re-excise PAM, respectively. A later survey in the UK reported that 43.8% of surgeons would not re-excise PAM in DCIS, whilst 29.2% would not for invasive carcinoma.Common surgical practices to not re-excise PAM contradict current guidelines that recommend obtaining negative margins to reduce the risk of IBTR. However, there is little evidence detailing the relationship between PAM and IBTR rates. Low residual disease after re-excision of PAM supports the limited benefit of re-excise this margin; however further studies are required to evaluate this topic.     

Robotic renal surgery: The future or a passing curiosity?

The development, advancement and clinical integration of robotic technology in surgery continue at a staggering pace. In no other discipline has this rapid evolution occurred to a greater degree than in urology. Although radical prostatectomy has grown to become the prototypical application for the robot, the role of the robot in renal surgery remains controversial. Herein we review the literature on robotic renal surgery. A comprehensive PubMed literature search was performed to identify all published reports relating to robotic renal surgery. All clinically related articles involving human participants were critically appraised in this review. Fifty-one clinical articles were included, encompassing robot-assisted pyeloplasty, nephrectomy, nephroureterectomy, living-donor nephrectomy and partial nephrectomy. Feasibility has been shown for each of these procedures. Robot-assisted techniques have been described for almost all renal-related procedures. However, the intersect between feasibility and necessity as it pertains to robotic renal surgery has yet to be defined. Also, the high cost of surgical robotic technology mandates critical appraisal before adoption, especially in a publicly funded health care system, such as the one present in Canada.