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The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma as a cause of delays in diagnosing and treating patients due to the limitations in access to reference centers. The availability of human resources for the care of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma has decreased, as has the availability of hospital beds and operating rooms. On the other side morbidity and mortality related to treatment are increased in patients with cirrhosis and cancer due to their immunocompromised status and thus a higher chance of contracting a severe form of the COVID-19 disease. In order to handle such a challenging situation it became essential to revise the actual recommendations for hepatocellular carcinoma strategies during COVID-19 pandemic and adapt them to daily practice following the current legislation while respecting the principles of good clinical practice.

Purpose: Management of giant inguinoscrotal hernia (GIH) is still a challenging procedure associated with a higher risk of intraabdominal hypertension and abdominal compartment syndrome as a life-threatening condition. The aim of the study was to present our management strategy for GIH. Methods: This is a retrospective review of a case series including 24 consecutive patients with 25 GIH who underwent reconstructive surgery from January 2006 to June 2023, at the University Clinic for Digestive Surgery and Hernia Center Zuvela. A combined surgical strategy was applied: the modified Rives repair for groin hernias alone, Rives combined with organ resection to reduce hernia contents, and Rives combined with procedures for abdominal cavity enlargement. A surgical approach was defined based on the patient’s general health, the volume of the hernia sac, and perioperative parameters. Results: All patients were male aged between 43 and 82 years. Rives was the only procedure in 12 patients. In addition to Rives, omentectomy was performed in four patients and intestinal resection in one. Abdominal cavity enlargement was performed following Rives hernioplasty in 9 patients. The median operative time was 215 min (range, 70–720). Surgical complications occurred in seven patients. In-hospital mortality was 12.5%. There was no groin hernia recurrence. Conclusion: Our strategy is a single-stage treatment including modified Rives repair with or without additional procedures for abdominal cavity enlargement or hernia volume reduction, tailored to the individual patient characteristics. The procedure is associated with a higher risk of major morbidity requiring a well-trained intensive care unit team. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction/Objective. Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a minimally invasive treatment modality for primary and metastatic liver tumors. It can be performed percutaneously or as a laparoscopic or open surgical procedure under ultrasound or computerized tomography guidance. The objective of the study was to evaluate the clinical outcome of the initial 16 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) managed by percutaneous RFA at a tertiary institution and to assess the efficacy of this procedure in the management of selected patients with HCC. Method. From June 2011 until December 2013, 16 patients with early-stage HCC were managed by percutaneous radiofrequency ablation at the Clinic for Digestive Surgery, Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade. All the patients were treated by the same team composed of an interventional radiologist and a liver surgeon. We analyzed the clinical outcome and the biologic effect of this treatment by comparing the pre- and post-treatment levels of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). Results. Post-treatment values of liver transaminase levels returned to the pre-treatment values from Day 3. Post-treatment hospital stay was two days. Post-procedural complications included mild pain in all patients, skin necrosis at the site of the electrode puncture in five patients, and transient hepatic decompensation in one patient. In all the patients the AFP level correlated with the findings of liver imaging (ultrasound and/or magnetic resonance imaging with liver-specific contrast agent) indicating viability of the treated tumor. Conclusion. RFA is a feasible and effective procedure providing favorable clinical outcome in patients with early-stage HCC.

Background: Horseshoe kidney is a well-known congenital anomaly and the most common anomaly of the upper urinary tract. This condition is rarely associated with anomalous inferior vena cava (IVC). Polycystic horseshoe kidney is a very rare occurrence and however IVC anomalies common with polycistic disease are an increasingly recognized risk factor for iliofemoral deep venous thrombosis. Method: We present a case of 75-year-old patient with recurrent deep vein thrombosis (DVT) of right leg as a result of compression of large horseshoe kidney cysts in double inferior vena cava. Results: Large renal cyst were successful treated percutaneously punctured for the relief of compression and received injection of acidic solutions of 95% ethanol under ultrasound guidance for prevention against re-accumulation of cyst fluid. Conclusion: Percutaneous aspiration with ultrasound guidance with injection of sclerosing solutions as a relatively simple procedure and can be the method of choice for treatment of renal cysts. Also, any recurrent deep vein thrombosis on lower extremity requires additional evaluation in the form of an ultrasound or multidetector computed tomography examination of the abdomen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is a highly lethal disease even in initially resectable patients. Functional imaging procedures such as diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and computed tomography (CT)-perfusion might facilitate preoperative prediction of factors influencing prognosis in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Purpose: To evaluate CT-perfusion and DWI quantitative parameters of pancreatic adenocarcinoma and to assess their correlation with clinicopathological features. Material and Methods: Forty-four patients with histopathologically proven pancreatic adenocarcinoma underwent CT-perfusion and DWI for estimating blood volume (BV), blood perfusion (BF), mean transit time (MTT), time to peak (TTP), and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values. The statistical analysis was performed using Wilcoxon matched-pairs test, t-test for independent samples, Spearman's rank correlation coefficient (rs), and receiver operating characteristic analysis. Results: The mean CT-perfusion parameters and ADCs were significantly different in pancreatic adenocarcinoma versus healthy parenchyma. BV (2.66 ± 0.98 mL/100g), BF (17.45 ± 4.06 mL/min/100g), and ADCs (0.91 ± 0.15 × 10−3mm/s2) in high-grade tumors were significantly lower in comparison to low-grade tumors (BV = 5.35 ± 1.36 mL/100g, BF = 28.51 ± 7.73 mL/min/100g, ADC = 1.07 ± 0.21 × 10−3mm/s2). For prediction of high-grade tumors, the sensitivity and specificity were 79.2% and 82.4% for BF and 87.5% and 88.2% for BV, respectively. A significant negative correlation was found between BV and tumor size (rs = −0.445, P = 0.029), MTT and tumor size (rs = −0.330, P = 0.043), BV and M-stage (rs = −0.286, P = 0.049), and ADC and M-stage (rs = −0.274, P = 0.038). Moreover, BF and BV values were significantly associated with ADCs. Conclusion: CT-perfusion parameters and ADC values could improve preoperative assessment of pancreatic adenocarcinoma with possibility of tumor grade prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Objective: The aim was to demonstrate a diagnostic challenge of sclerosing mesenteritis initially considered as liposarcoma.Clinical Presentation and Intervention: A 45-year-old man was admitted with a painful abdominal mass. Abdominal computed tomography demonstrated a well- demarcated tumor in his left hemiabdomen, with a large fat component and areas of soft tissue attenuation suggestive of liposarcoma. Intraoperative findings showed a tumor arising from the greater omentum. The tumor was completely removed, and histopathology confirmed a pseudotumorous type of sclerosing mesenteritis with dominant mesenteric lipodystrophy.Conclusion: This case showed that a pseudotumorous type of sclerosing mesenteritis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of the mesenteric tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Pain, appetite loss and fatigue are the most prominent symptoms in patients with locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer. Quality of life has been assessed from these patients during a confirmatory randomized controlled trial on survival. Methods In a randomized study (ISRCTN70760582) 220 patients were evenly randomized to receive s.c. injections of ME (Iscador® Qu) in a dose-escalating manner from 0.01 mg up to 10 mg three times per week, or no antineoplastic therapy (control). All patients received best supportive care. The primary endpoint was 12-month OS. Secondary efficacy parameters were the QoL dimensions of the core questionnaire of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer assessed at baseline and month 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, and 12 including pain, appetite loss and fatigue. The difference of the mean of the post baseline values "dPBL" (month 1-12 after baseline) to the basline itself were calculated. Negative values indicate an improvement of the symptom. Differences of more than 20 points are of big clinical relevance. The results of pain were verified by the documentation by the consumption of analgesics and the results of appetite loss by body weight. Results Baseline characteristics were well balanced between the ME and control group. OS for ME versus control patients was 4.8 vs. 2.7 months (HR=0.49; p< 0.0001. Patients in the ME group gained weight (mean 3.53%) and control patients lost weight (-2.76%); group difference: 6.29 %. Conclusion ME therapy drastically improves pain, appetite loss and fatigue in patients with locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer. The application of ME is safe and non-toxic and should become a standard in therapy of this devastating disease, where additional burdens of conventional therapies are not desired anymore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Current second line treatments for late-stage pancreatic cancer patients are often so toxic that their risk-benefit ratios are unfavourable. Therefore, effective but non-toxic therapeutic approaches should be examined. Mistletoe extract (ME) therapy claims to be both, effective and non-toxic. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of ME regarding the overall survival (OS), quality of life (QoL), and safety in patients with locally advanced or metastatic adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. Methods In this randomized study (ISRCTN70760582) patients were stratified according to a binary prognosis index and evenly randomized to receive s.c. injections of ME (Iscador® Qu) in a dose-escalating manner from 0.01 mg up to 10 mg three times per week, or no antineo-plastic therapy (control). All patients received best supportive care. The primary endpoint was 12-month OS. Results Baseline characteristics were well balanced between the ME and control group. Median OS for ME versus control patients was 4.8 vs. 2.7 months (prognosis-group adjusted hazard ratio, HR=0.49; p. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is characterized by a growing number of new cases diagnosed each year that is nearly equal to the number of deaths from this cancer. In a majority of the cases, HCC is associated with the underlying chronic liver disease, and it is diagnosed in advanced stage of disease when curative treatment options are not applicable. Sorafenib is a treatment of choice for patients with performance status 1 or 2 and/or macrovascular invasion or extrahepatic spread, and regorafenib is the only systemic treatment found to provide survival benefit in HCC patients progressing on sorafenib treatment. Other drugs tested in different trials failed to demonstrate any benefit. Disappointing results of numerous trials testing the efficacy of various drugs indicate that HCC has low sensitivity to chemotherapy that is in great part caused by multidrug resistance. Immunotherapy for HCC is a new challenging treatment option and involves immune checkpoint inhibitors/antibody-based therapy and peptide-based vaccines. Another challenging approach is microRNA-based therapy that involves two strategies. The first aims to inhibit oncogenic miRNAs by using miRNA antagonists and the second strategy is miRNA replacement, which involves the reintroduction of a tumor-suppressor miRNA mimetic to restore a loss of function., Competing Interests: Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the major malignant diseases in many healthcare systems. The growing number of new cases diagnosed each year is nearly equal to the number of deaths from this cancer. Worldwide, HCC is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths, as it is the fifth most common cancer and the third most important cause of cancer related death in men. Among various risk factors the two are prevailing: viral hepatitis, namely chronic hepatitis C virus is a well-established risk factor contributing to the rising incidence of HCC. The epidemic of obesity and the metabolic syndrome, not only in the United States but also in Asia, tend to become the leading cause of the long-term rise in the HCC incidence. Today, the diagnosis of HCC is established within the national surveillance programs in developed countries while the diagnosis of symptomatic, advanced stage disease still remains the characteristic of underdeveloped countries. Although many different staging systems have been developed and evaluated the Barcelona-Clinic Liver Cancer staging system has emerged as the most useful to guide HCC treatment. Treatment allocation should be decided by a multidisciplinary board involving hepatologists, pathologists, radiologists, liver surgeons and oncologists guided by personalized -based medicine. This approach is important not only to balance between different oncologic treatments strategies but also due to the complexity of the disease (chronic liver disease and the cancer) and due to the large number of potentially efficient therapies. Careful patient selection and a tailored treatment modality for every patient, either potentially curative (surgical treatment and tumor ablation) or palliative (transarterial therapy, radioembolization and medical treatment, i.e., sorafenib) is mandatory to achieve the best treatment outcome.