En-bloc esophagectomy for esophageal cancer

BACKGROUND: The operative approach for esophageal cancer varies from simple palliative resection to extended esophagectomy with 3-field lymph-node dissection or en-bloc esophagectomy (EBE) depending on tumor and patient status and surgical strategy of the surgeon. The merits and demerits of such EBE are yet to be determined. METHODS: A literature review was done regarding EBE for esophageal cancer. RESULTS: Twenty articles describing EBE were reported from experienced institutions during the last 20 years and were selected for this study. The conclusions drawn from those articles showed that EBE would be a safe procedure with acceptable morbidity and low mortality rates when performed by an experienced surgeon. When strict patient selection criteria were maintained, this procedure decreased locoregional recurrence and improved long-term survival rates. CONCLUSIONS: EBE would be the treatment of choice in selected patients presenting with esophageal cancer. Development of meticulous preoperative risk assessment and optimum postoperative care may further improve the acceptability of this procedure with minimum morbidity and acceptable mortality rates.     

外侵性肝癌扩大切除术的术式探讨

目的：探讨外侵性肝癌扩大切除手术治疗的经验,以期提高手术成功率和患者的生存率。方法：回顾性分析１９９７年元月～１９９９年６月间施行扩大切除术的４１例外侵性肝癌的临床资料。结果：施行扩大切除术的４１例中除肝癌切除外,还包括联合切除：部分十二指肠１例,部分膈肌６例,右肾上腺２例,胆囊１８例,部分胃１例,右半结肠２例,脾脏２例。结论：严格掌握扩大切除术的指征,恰当地选择手术进路,同时注重病人的围手术期处理,是降低并发症、提高手术成功率及远期生存率的重要因素。     

Nonsentinel node metastases in breast cancer patients with isolated tumor cells in the sentinel node: implications for completion axillary node dissection

BACKGROUND: Controversy exists regarding axillary dissection (ALND) for sentinel node (SLN) metastases detected as isolated tumor cells (ITC). We hypothesized that the number of positive non-SLNs is low and ALND is unnecessary for most patients with ITC. METHODS: From 1995 to 1999, 634 breast cancer patients underwent SLND. SLNs were examined using immunohistochemistry if hematoxylin and eosin was negative. ALND was recommended for ITC-positive SLNs. RESULTS: Seventy-eight patients (12.3%) with ITC-positive SLNs were offered ALND. Sixty-one consented, whereas 17 refused. Fifty-eight (95.1%) had negative non-SLNs. Three (4.9%) had non-SLN metastases. One patient (1.6%) had macrometastatic disease, whereas 2 (3.3%) had micrometastases. No ITC-only-positive SLN patient experienced axillary recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: When ALND was performed for ITC, 1.6% of non-SLNs harbored macrometastases and 3.3% had micrometastases. When ALND was not performed, axillary recurrence was not seen. The low risk of non-SLN disease in this study fails to support the routine use of ALND for ITC-positive SLNs.     

Is D2 laparoscopic gastrectomy essential for elderly patients with advanced gastric cancer? A propensity score matched analysis

BackgroundThe necessity of the standard D2 gastrectomy for elderly patients with advanced gastric cancer (GC) is controversial because only limited data are available to demonstrate its oncological benefit for them. Our aim was to compare the outcomes of D2 and Non-D2 and to evaluate the survival benefit of D2 laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) in elderly patients.MethodsWe retrospectively identified 865 patients with GC who underwent radical LG at our hospital between 2011 and 2017. Patients aged ≥75 years who were diagnosed with clinical T1N+ or clinical T2-4 were eligible. The primary outcome was the 3-year overall survival (OS) rate. The confounding factors were minimized using propensity score matching.ResultsThis study included 119 patients (63 D2 LG and 56 Non-D2 LG), and 52 patients (26 each for D2 LG and Non-D2 LG) were analyzed after matching. Although no significant difference was found in overall major complications (P=1.00), complications tended to occur in the D2 group (D2 vs. Non-D2 =3.9% vs. 0%). No differences in the 3-year OS were noted between the two groups (68.8% vs. 68.8%; HR 1.53, 95% CI: 0.56–3.19).ConclusionsThis study demonstrated the possible association between D2 LG and increased complication rate and no survival benefit of D2 LG in elderly patients.     

腹腔镜根治性切除治疗肝门部胆管癌15例分析

目的 探讨腹腔镜根治性切除治疗肝门部胆管癌的可行性及安全性。方法 回顾性分析2013年5月至2018年5月在川北医学院附属医院行根治性手术治疗并经病理学检查证实的15例肝门部胆管癌病人的临床资料,分析术中及术后情况,并随访观察。结果 15例肝门部胆管癌病人中13例行完全腹腔镜手术,2例病人中转开放手术。手术时间为（404.3±62.8）min,术中出血（502.0±133.8）mL,术后住院时间为（9.6±2.7）d,术后首次排气时间为（3.2±0.8）d。术后淋巴结检出数目为（9.5±2.6）枚,1例发现N2淋巴结转移。术后发生胆漏1例,大量腹腔积液1例,切口脂肪液化1例,均经保守治疗后好转出院。所有病人均获得随访,截至2018年5月,随访时间为6～60个月,死亡4例。结论 通过术前充分评估及术中探查制定相应手术策略,并且在严格掌握手术适应证的前提下,由具备丰富腹腔镜手术经验的医生主持操作,腹腔镜技术应用于肝门部胆管癌病人相对安全、可行。     

Monolithic crowns fracture analysis: The effect of material properties,cusp angle and crown thickness

ObjectivesThis study aimed to investigate the collective influence of material properties and design parameters on the fracture behavior of monolithic dental crowns.MethodsThree-dimensional (3D) models (N = 90) with different combinations of design parameters (thickness, cusp angle and occlusal notch geometry) and material type (lithium disilicate, feldspar ceramic, zirconia, hybrid resin ceramic and hybrid polymer-infiltrated ceramic) were developed for the failure analysis using extended finite element method (XFEM) to identify the stress distribution, crack initiation load, fracture surface area and fracture pattern. Analytical formulation, in vitro fracture tests and fractographic analysis of dedicated models were also performed to validate the findings of the XFEM simulation.ResultsFor all material types considered, crowns with a sharp occlusal notch design had a significantly lower fracture resistance against occlusal loading. In most of the models, greater crown thickness and cusp angle resulted in a higher crack initiation load. However, the effect of cusp angle was dominant when the angle was in the low range of 50° for which increasing thickness did not enhance the crack initiation load.SignificanceComparing the critical load of crack initiation for different models with the maximum biting force revealed that for the studied monolithic materials excluding zirconia, a design with a rounded occlusal notch, 70° cusp angle and medium thickness (1.5 mm occlusal) is an optimum combination of design parameters in terms of tooth conservation and fracture resistance. Zirconia crowns exhibited sufficient strength for a more conservative design with less thickness (1.05 mm occlusal) and sharper cusp angle (60°).