Transthoracic esophagectomy compared to transhiatal extended gastrectomy for adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction: a multicenter retrospective cohort study

Optimal surgical treatment for Siewert type II esophagogastric junction adenocarcinoma is debated. The aim of this study was to compare transhiatal extended gastrectomy (TEG) and transthoracic esophagectomy (TTE). Patients with Siewert type II tumors who underwent a resection by TEG or TTE in two centers (Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, and University of Verona) between 2014 and 2019 were identified. To limit selection bias, patients were matched for baseline characteristics and compared with a multivariable logistic regression model. Some 159 patients treated by TEG (60 patients, 37.7%) or TTE (99 patients, 62.3%) were included. Patients in the TEG group were older, had less tumor invasion of the esophagus, and were more often excluded from neoadjuvant therapy. Post-operative morbidity was comparable (P = 0.88), while 90-day mortality was higher after TEG (90-day mortality 10.0% in TEG group vs. 2.0% in TTE group P = 0.01). R0 resection was achieved in 83.3% of patients after TEG and in 97.9% after TTE (P < 0.01), with the proximal resection margin involved in 16.6% of patients after TEG versus 0 in TTE group (P < 0.01). The 3-year overall survival was comparable (TEG: 36.5%, TTE: 48.4%, P = 0.12). At multivariable analysis, (y)pT category was an independent risk factor for 3-year recurrence. After matching, TEG was still associated with an increased risk of incomplete tumor resection (P = 0.03) and proximal margin involvement (P < 0.01), while there were no differences in post-operative morbidity (P = 0.56) and mortality (P = 0.31). Our data suggest that patients with Siewert type II tumors treated by TEG are exposed to a higher risk of positive proximal resection margin compared to TTE.

P430 Prognostic significance of neuropeptide expression in ileal neural plexuses in Crohn’s disease. A retrospective study

Background Intestinal resection in Crohn’s disease (CD) is not curative and the risk for postoperative recurrence (POR) remains high. Highlighting risk factors for POR is crucial for the postoperative management of CD patients. Myenteric plexitis is a well-established risk factors for POR. The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation of neuropeptide P (NPY)-, vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP)- and substance P (SP)-ergic nerve density with the presence and severity of plexitis in myenteric and submucosal plexuses in the proximal resection margin. Secondary aims were to assess the value of abovementioned neuropeptides’ expression in predicting POR and to recognize additional risk factors. Methods We conducted a retrospective, single-center study on CD patients who underwent ileocolonic resection (ICR) between January 2010 and December 2016. Exclusion criteria were age <16 years, patients with missing or invalid data precluding analysis, the presence of a diverting ileostomy on enrollment and specimens inappropriate for the evaluation of histologic features of interest in the proximal resection margin. Demographic and clinical data were retrieved, and the incidence or endoscopic, clinical and surgical POR was recorded. The presence and severity of plexitis was evaluated by hematoxylin and eosin staining. Giemsa staining was used for the recognition of mast cells. Immunohistochemistry was used was used for the detection of T-lymphocytes and NPY-, VIP- and SP-ergic neurons. The expression of the above peptides was quantified using image analysis. Results Seventy-nine patients (44 males) with a median age of 35 years were included. The median follow-up was 71 months. Myenteric and submucosal plexitis were present in 83.5% and 73.4% of patients, respectively. No association was detected between the density of NPY, VIP and SP expression and the presence or severity of plexitis. Similarly, the number of the involved T-lymphocytes or mast cells was not correlated with the expression of these peptides. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional regression analysis was performed for the detection of risk factors for POR. Smoking and moderate/severe myenteric plexitis were independent risk factors for endoscopic and clinical POR, whereas an involved ileal margin was recognized as a risk factor for clinical POR. Conclusion This study did not document a correlation between plexitis in proximal resection margin and the expression of specific neuropeptides. According to our findings, smoking, myenteric plexitis, and involved ileal margin are independent risk factors for POR.

Impact of proximal resection margin involvement on survival outcome in patients with proximal gastric cancer

AimThe aim of this study was to evaluate the risk factors for proximal resection margin involvement and its impact on survival outcome in patients with proximal gastric cancer.MethodsA total of 488 patients who underwent potentially curative resection for proximal gastric cancer were retrospectively reviewed. Clinicopathological characteristics and survival differences between patients with positive and negative resection margins were compared and prognostic factors were determined by Cox multivariate analysis.ResultsIn this study, 7.6% (37/488) of patients with proximal gastric cancer had a positive proximal resection margin after postoperative histopathological examination. Positive resection margins were significantly associated with advanced tumour stage and more aggressive biological features including larger tumour size, serosal invasion and lymphovascular invasion. Serosal invasion (OR 4.543, 95% CI 2.201 to 9.380, p<0.001) and lymphovascular invasion (OR 2.279, 95% CI 1.129 to 4.600, p<0.05) were independent risk factors for positive proximal resection margins. In terms of survival outcome, positive resection margins had an adverse impact on the prognosis of patients with proximal gastric cancer (median DFS: 20.7 vs 30.2 months, p<0.001). The multivariate analysis indicated that positive resection margins (HR 1.494, 95% CI 1.042 to 2.142, p=0.029), T stage (T3–T4, HR 2.264, 95% CI 1.484 to 3.454, p<0.001) and N stage (N1–N2 stage, HR 1.696, 95% CI 1.279 to 2.248, p<0.001; N3 stage, HR 2.691, 95% CI 1.967 to 3.681, p<0.001) were independent prognostic factors for patients with proximal gastric cancer.ConclusionProximal resection margin involvement was an indicator of more aggressive tumours and an independent prognostic factor for patients with proximal gastric cancer. Aggressive efforts should be made to achieve a negative resection margin if gastric cancer was deemed to be potentially resectable.

Dysmorphic Neurofilament-Positive Ganglion Cells in the Myenteric Plexus at the Proximal Resection Margin Indicate Worse Postoperative Prognosis in Hirschsprung’s Disease

Background Hirschsprung’s disease (HD) is a congenital disorder affecting neonates that presents with distal intestinal obstruction. It is the most common type of anorectal malformation. Treatment of HD consists of surgical removal of the distal colon including the most distal aganglionic segment, the transitional zone, and a prudent length of proximal colon that is determined during the surgical procedure to be normally ganglionated by intraoperative demonstration of normal ganglion cells up to and including the surgical resection margin. Methods In a retrospective study of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded colon tissue from the proximal resection margin (PRM) of 209 HD patients, we made morphometric measures and detected immature ganglion cells defined as dysmorphic by immunohistochemical demonstration of cytoplasmic neurofilament (NF). Results The majority of NF-positive ganglion cells in HD patients appeared immature, with less cytoplasm. Occasional positive ganglion cells in the same patients appeared mature with abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm, Nissl bodies, prominent nucleoli, and adjacent glial cells. Patients with NF-positive ganglion cells in the myenteric plexuses at the PRM may have poor postoperative recovery. Conclusion We propose that NF expression in dysmorphic ganglion cells at the PRM may predict poor outcome after pull-through surgery for HD.

To what extent should the intestinal be resected proximally after radiotherapy: hint from a pathological view

Background Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) is associated with post-operative anastomotic complications in rectal-cancer patients. Anastomosis involving at least one non-irradiated margin reportedly significantly reduces the risk of post-operative anastomotic complications in radiation enteritis. However, the exact scope of radiotherapy on the remaining sigmoid colon remains unknown. Methods We evaluated the radiation damage of proximally resected colorectal segments in 44 patients with rectal cancer, who received nCRT followed by conventional resection (nCRT-C, n = 21) or proximally extended resection (nCRT-E, n = 23). The segments from another 13 patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy (nCT) were used as control. We dissected these samples at a distance of 2 cm between the two adjacent sections. Radiation damage in proximally resected colorectal segments was evaluated using the radiation injury score (RIS) and the concentration and distribution patterns of angiostatin. Results Compared to those in the nCT group, the nCRT group showed higher RIS, levels of angiostatin, and proportion of diffuse pattern of angiostatin. With increasing distance from the tumor site, these parameters all gradually decreased; and the differences came to be not significant at the site that is over 20 cm from the tumor. The nCRT-E group showed lower RIS (median: 2 vs 4, P = 0.002) and a greater proportion of non-diffuse angiostatin (87% vs 55%, P = 0.039) at the proximal margins compared with the nCRT-C group. Conclusions The severity of the radiation damage of the proximal colon is inversely proportional to the proximal-resection margin length. Little damage was left on the proximal margin that was over 20 cm from the tumor. Removal of an initial length of ≥20 cm from the tumor may be beneficial for rectal-cancer patients after nCRT.