Effects of taurolidine and octreotide on port site and liver metastasis after laparoscopy in an animal model of pancreatic cancer

Port site metastasis is a dreadful event following laparoscopy; however, the exact pathomechanism is still unknown. In order to prevent trocar metastasis we determined the effects of intraperitoneal lavage with either taurolidine or octreotide on port site and liver metastasis after laparoscopy in a chemically induced, solid pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Pancreatic adenocarcinoma was induced in 60 Syrian hamsters by weekly injection of 10 mg/kg body weight N-nitrosobis-2-oxopropylamine s.c. for 10 weeks. Six weeks later, a laparoscopic pancreatic biopsy was performed by the use of a pneumoperitoneum with carbon dioxide (12 mm Hg), followed by an abdominal irrigation with 5 ml normal saline (group 1, n=20), 5 ml 0.5% taurolidine (group 2, n=20) or 5 ml octreotide (20 mg/ml) (group 3, n=20). After 8 weeks, all hamsters were sacrificed and histopathologically examined. There was only one macroscopic visible primary tumor in the taurolidine group (5.9%), compared to 42.1% in the saline group and 62.5% in the octreotide group (P<0.05). The size of carcinomas was smaller in the saline group than after octreotide irrigation (median 6, range 2–25 vs. median 70, range 40–160 mm², P<0.05). The number of liver metastases per animal was increased after saline irrigation (median 4, range 2–6), compared to taurolidine (median 2, range 1–3) or octreotide (median 2.5, range 2–4) (P<0.05). Port site metastases were found in 36.8% after saline, in 37.5% after octreotide and in 0% after taurolidine irrigation (P<0.05). Thus port site metastasis was effectively prevented by taurolidine irrigation after staging-laparoscopy in pancreatic cancer. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.