Background: The aim of this study was to validate a new definition of borderline resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) provided by the 2017 international consensus on the basis of three dimensions of anatomical (A), biological (B), and conditional (C) factors, using the data of the patients who had been registered for our institutional protocol of chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery (CRTS) for localized patients with PDAC. Methods: Among 307 consecutive patients pathologically diagnosed with localized PDAC who were enrolled in our CRTS protocol from February 2005 to December 2016, we selected 285 patients who could be re-evaluated after CRT. These 285 patients were classified according to international consensus A definitions as follows: R (resectable; n = 62), BR-PV (borderline resectable, superior mesenteric vein (SMV)/portal vein (PV) involvement alone; n = 27), BR-A (borderline resectable, arterial involvement; n = 50), LA (locally advanced; n = 146). Disease-specific survival (DSS) was analyzed according to A, B (serum CA 19-9 levels and lymph node metastasis diagnosed by computed tomography findings before CRT), and C factors (performance status (PS)) factors. Results: The rates of resection and R0 resection were similar between R (83.9 and 98.0%) and BR-PV (85.2 and 95.5%), but much lower in BR-A (70.0 and 84.8%) and LA (46.6 and 62.5%). DSS evaluated by median survival time (months) showed a similar trend to surgical outcomes: 33.7 in R, 27.3 in BR-PV, 18.9 in BR-A and 19.3 in LA, respectively. DSS in R patients with CA 19-9 levels > 500 U/mL was significantly poorer than in patients with CA 19-9 levels ≤ 500 U/mL, but there were no differences in DSS among BR-PV, BR-A, and LA patients according to CA 19-9 levels. Regarding lymph node metastasis, there was no significant difference in DSS according to each resectability group. DSS in R patients with PS ≥ 2 was significantly worse than in patients with PS 0-1. Conclusions: The international consensus on the definition of BR-PDAC based on three dimensions of A, B, and C is useful and practicable because prognosis of PDAC patients is influenced by anatomical factors as well as biological and conditional factors, which in turn may help to decide treatment strategy.

Delayed gastric emptying (DGE) is the most common complication following pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). The clinical efficacy of stapled side-to-side anastomosis using a laparoscopic stapling device during alimentary reconstruction in PD is not well understood and its superiority over conventional hand-sewn end-to-side anastomosis remains controversial. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the stapled side-to-side anastomosis in preventing the development of DGE after PD.

Background. Circulating apolipoprotein-AII (apoAII-) ATQ/AT is a potential useful biomarker for early stage pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), but its clinical significance in PDAC patients remains uncertain. The aim of the current study was to assess the usefulness of apoAII-ATQ/AT as a surrogate for the effect of chemoradiotherapy (CRT) and its association with pancreatic exocrine disorder, paying attention to morphological changes of the pancreas. Methods. In the 264 PDAC patients who were enrolled in our CRT protocol, the following parameters were measured at specified time points before and after CRT: serum levels of albumin, total cholesterol, and amylase as indices of pancreatic exocrine function, serum levels of CA19-9, and the pancreatic morphology including tumor size (TS), main pancreatic duct diameter (MPDD), and pancreatic parenchymal volume excluding tumor volume (PPV) by using computed tomography (CT) images. Plasma apoAII-ATQ/AT levels were simultaneously measured with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 4 healthy volunteers and the 44 PDAC patients before and after CRT. Plasma apoAII-ATQ/AT levels after CRT were analyzed according to small/large-MPDD and small/large-PPV groups based on their median values after CRT. Plasma samples after CRT were measured after incubation with human pancreatic juice (PJ) to examine the relevance between apoAII isoforms and circulating pancreatic enzymes. Results. The serum levels of albumin, amylase, CA19-9, TS, MPDD, and PPV after CRT were significantly lower than those before CRT (median, before vs. after: 3.9 g/dl, 74 U/l, 180.2 U/ml, 58.1 mm, 4.0 mm, and 34.8 ml vs. 3.8, 59, 43.5, 55.6, 3.6, and 25.2). ApoAII-ATQ/AT levels (median, μg/ml) of PDAC patients before CRT were significantly lower than those in healthy volunteers: 32.9 vs. 61.2, and unexpectedly those after CRT significantly decreased: 14.7. The reduction rate of apoAII-ATQ/AT was not correlated with those of CA19-9 and TS, indicating that apoAII-ATQ/AT is not a tumor-specific marker. On the other hand, the patient group with large MPDD and small PV exhibited higher apoAII-ATQ levels than those with small MPDD and large PPV. The incubation of plasma samples after CRT with PJ did not alter apoAII-ATQ/AT and apoAII-AT levels but significantly decreased apoAII-ATQ levels, suggesting that circulating pancreatic enzymes markedly influenced apoAII-ATQ levels. Conclusions. ApoAII-ATQ/AT levels are not useful for evaluation of clinical effect of CRT for PDAC, but apoAII isoforms are very useful to assess pancreatic exocrine disorder because pancreatic atrophy and insufficient secretion of circulating pancreatic enzymes are considered likely to influence apoAII-ATQ levels.

Anisakid nematodes (Anisakis spp. or Pseudoterranova spp.) usually infect gastric or intestinal walls, while they rarely infect in extra-gastrointestinal sites of human body. Generally, Anisakis spp. larvae are highly infected in fish intermediate hosts, whereas Pseudoterranova spp. larvae are very rarely infected. To the best of our knowledge, there have been no reports which have documented cases of hepatic anisakiasis caused by Pseudoterranova spp. This report describes the first documented case of hepatic anisakiasis due to infection with Pseudoterranova decipiens and clinical features of the hepatic anisakiasis through literature review. The case was a 28-year-old man with prior history of malignancy who was found to have a hepatic mass mimicking metastatic liver tumor. A new low density area of 20 mm in diameter in liver segment 7 was found on follow-up CT. With suspicious diagnosis of metastatic liver cancer, laparoscopic partial hepatectomy was performed. A pathological examination revealed no evidence of malignancy, but showed necrotic granuloma with eosinophil infiltration and the presence of a larva with Y-shaped lateral cords, which are specific to anisakid larvae. The type of larva was identified as Pseudoterranova decipiens sensu lato using PCR of DNA purified from a fixed granuloma embedded in paraffin. The present report is the first to discuss the case of a patient with hepatic anisakiasis caused by Pseudoterranova decipiens. Hepatic anisakiasis is a potential differential diagnosis for hepatic tumors and genetic identification with the PCR method was reliable for obtaining final diagnosis even when the larvae body in the resected specimen collapses with time.

Background: Laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy (L-DP) is the standard procedure for treating left-sided pancreatic tumors. Stapler closure of the pancreas is the preferred method for L-DP; however, postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) remains a challenging problem. The present study aimed to compare the surgical outcomes of staple closure using a reinforcing stapler (RS) and transection using an ultrasonic dissector followed by hand-sewn (HS) closure in a fish-mouth manner in pure L-DP and to determine independent perioperative risk factors for clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula (CR-POPF). Patients and Methods: Among the 85 patients who underwent pure L-DP between February 2011 and August 2021, 80 of whom the pancreatic stump was closed with RS (n = 59) or HS (n = 21) were retrospectively investigated. Associations between potential risk factors and POPF were assessed using univariate analysis. The factors, of which the P value was determined to be <0.1 by univariate analysis, were entered into a multivariate regression analysis to ascertain independent predictive factors. Results: The surgery time and estimated blood loss were not significantly different between the two groups. Overall, 13 patients (16.3%) developed CR-POPF (B = 12 and C = 1). The rate of CR-POPF was lower in RS than in HS; however, the difference was not statistically significant (RS vs HS: 11.9% vs 28.9%, P = 0.092). Consistent with the results for CR-POPF, the rate of Clavien-Dindo IIIa or more postoperative complications and the length of hospital stay were also not significantly different between the two groups (RS vs HS: 10.2, 12% vs 14.3%, 14 d). In the univariate analysis of risk factors for CR-POPF, the pancreatic thickness at the transection site, procedure for stump closure, and estimated blood loss were associated with a significantly higher rate of CR-POPF. The multivariate analysis revealed that the pancreatic thickness at the transection site (cutoff: 12 mm) was the only independent risk factor for CR-POPF (odds ratio: 6.5l, 95% CI: 1.4-30.4, P = 0.018). The rate of CR-POPF was much lower in RS than in HS for pancreatic thickness <12 mm (RS vs HS: 4.1% vs 28.6%), whereas that was rather higher in RS than in HS for pancreatic thickness ≥12 mm (RS vs HS: 50% vs 28.6%). Conclusions: RS closure was superior to HS closure for pancreatic thickness <12 mm and for prevention of CR-POPF after pure L-DP. It is necessary to seek more reliable procedures for pancreatic stump closure in patients with a pancreatic thickness of ≥12 mm.

Background: The optimal surgical indication after preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) remains a subject of debate for patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) because early recurrence often occurs even after curative-intent resection. The present study aimed to identify perioperative risk factors of early recurrence for patients with PDAC who underwent curative-intent resection after preoperative CRT. Methods: Two hundred three patients with PDAC who underwent curative-intent resection after preoperative CRT from February 2005 to December 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. The optimal threshold for differentiating between early and late recurrence was determined by the minimum p-value approach. Multivariate regression analysis was performed to identify predictive factors for early recurrence. Results: In 130 patients who developed recurrence after resection, 52 who had an initial recurrence within 12 months were defined as the early recurrence group, and the remaining 78 were defined as the late recurrence group. The incidence of hepatic recurrence was significantly higher in the early recurrence group than in the late recurrence group (39.7 vs. 15.4%). The early recurrence group had significantly lower 3-year rates of post-recurrence and overall survival than the late recurrence group (4.0 and 10.7% vs. 9.8 and 59.0%, respectively). Serum level of CA19-9 before surgery ≥56.8 U/ml was identified as an independent risk factor for early recurrence (OR:3.07, 95%CI:1.65–5.73, p<0.001) and associated with a significantly higher cumulative incidence rate of hepatic recurrence and lower rates of recurrence-free and overall survival. Conclusion: Serum level of CA19-9 before surgery after preoperative CRT was a strong predictive factor for early recurrence.