Search

Introduction: Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is increasingly used in the surgical management of gastric cancer; however, its adoption lags that of other cancers. Most randomized controlled trials comparing MIS to open gastrectomy have been conducted in Asia, with limited data from the United States. This study aimed to compare perioperative, oncologic, and survival outcomes between open, laparoscopic, and robotic gastrectomy in a large US cohort., Methods: Using the National Cancer Database, we identified patients with gastric adenocarcinoma who underwent open, laparoscopic, or robotic gastrectomy between 2010 and 2020. Multivariate regression models were used to examine the association between surgical approach and various outcomes, including 30-d readmission, length of stay (LOS), surgical margin status, lymph node yield, 30- and 90-d mortality, and overall survival (OS). The interaction between surgical approach and tumor location (distal versus proximal or gastroesophageal junction [GEJ]) was also assessed., Results: Of the 34,937 included patients, 64.8% underwent open gastrectomy, 25.7% underwent laparoscopic surgery, and 9.5% underwent robotic surgery. MIS was associated with lower odds of 30-d readmission (laparoscopic: odds ratio [OR] 0.78, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.67-0.89; robotic: OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.60-0.92), positive margins (laparoscopic: OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.74-0.93; robotic: OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.62-0.90), 30-d mortality (laparoscopic: OR 0.69, 95% CI 0.55-0.85; robotic: OR 0.66, 95% CI 0.44-0.95), and 90-d mortality (laparoscopic: OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.63-0.87; robotic: OR 0.63, 95% CI 0.47-0.84), as well as improved OS (laparoscopic: hazard ratio 0.83, 95% CI 0.79-0.87; robotic: hazard ratio 0.76, 95% CI 0.69-0.83) compared to open surgery. Considering the interaction of approach with tumor location, for proximal/GEJ tumors, the associated outcome improvements with MIS were attenuated. We observe that the odds for 30-d readmission, 90-d mortality, and OS are similar to those for open operations. However, regardless of tumor location, robotic gastrectomy was associated with decreased LOS and yielded a higher lymph node count than laparoscopic or open approaches., Conclusions: In this large US cohort, MIS gastrectomy was associated with improved perioperative, oncologic, and survival outcomes compared to open surgery for distal gastric cancers. However, the associated benefits of MIS were attenuated for proximal/GEJ tumors, with higher odds of readmission, mortality, and worse OS. Notably, robotic gastrectomy was associated with superior lymph node yield and LOS compared to laparoscopic and open approaches, even for proximal/GEJ tumors. These findings underscore the need for further research, especially randomized controlled trials conducted in Western populations, to definitively determine the efficacy of MIS for distal and proximal/GEJ tumors and guide surgical decision-making for gastric adenocarcinoma., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Advanced retroperitoneal sarcoma (RPS) can include unresectable locoregional disease, systemic or multifocal intra-abdominal metastasis, or abdominal sarcomatosis, all of which are associated with high morbidity and may be addressed through palliative therapy. Current trends in the use of palliative therapy and factors associated with its use in patients with advanced RPS remain largely unexplored. The objectives of this study are to (1) describe the temporal trend in the use of palliative therapy and (2) identify factors associated with its use in patients with advanced RPS in the United States from 2004 to 2020., Methods: This study is a retrospective cohort study using the National Cancer Database. We identified adult patients who were diagnosed with advanced RPS (American Joint Committee on Cancer stages III and IV) from 2004 to 2020. We performed a trend analysis to describe the use of palliative therapy over time, followed by univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses to identify predictors of palliative therapy use in this patient population., Results: A total of 6149 patients with advanced RPS were identified, of which only 383 used palliative therapy, including surgery (n = 28), radiation therapy (n = 87), systemic therapy (n = 115), pain management (n = 61), combination therapy (n = 55), or other palliative therapy (n = 37). The proportion of patients using palliative therapy increased significantly from 2.6% in 2004 to 6.5% in 2020 (P trend < 0.001). On multivariable logistic regression, age (odds ratio [OR] 1.03, 95 confidence interval [CI] 1.01-1.04), year of diagnosis (OR 1.05, 95 CI 1.02-1.08), lack of insurance (OR 2.18, 95 CI 1.17-4.04), community cancer program status (OR 1.83, 95 CI 1.05-3.19), stage IV disease (OR 5.19, 95 CI 4.49-7.79), and rhabdomyosarcoma (OR 2.75, 95 CI 1.32-5.72) histology were found to be predictors of palliative therapy use., Conclusions: This study sheds light on the evolving landscape of palliative therapy use for patients with advanced RPS in the United States from 2004 to 2020. The observed gradual increase in the use of palliative therapy underscores the growing recognition of its importance in managing the unique challenges associated with this complex disease. Despite this positive trend, the persistently low overall rates highlight the need for further efforts to enhance awareness and accessibility of palliative therapy for this patient population., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Up to half of patients with leiomyosarcoma (LMS) present with distant metastases, most commonly in the lungs. Despite guidelines around managing metachronous oligometastatic disease, limited evidence exists for synchronous isolated lung metastases (SILMs). Our histology-specific study describes management patterns and outcomes for patients with LMS and SILM across disease sites., Methods: We used the National Cancer Database to analyze patients with LMS of the retroperitoneum, extremity, trunk/chest/abdominal wall, and pelvis with SILM. Patients with extra-pulmonary metastases were excluded. We identified factors associated with primary tumor resection and receipt of metastasectomy. Outcomes included median, 1-year, and 5-year overall survival (OS) across treatment approaches using log-rank tests, Kaplan-Meier curves, and Cox proportional hazard models., Results: We identified 629 LMS patients with SILM from 2004 to 2017. Patients were more likely to have resection of their primary tumor or lung metastases if treated at an academic center compared to a community cancer center. Five year OS for patients undergoing both primary tumor resection and metastasectomy was 20.9% versus 9.2% for primary tumor resection alone, and 2.6% for nonsurgical patients. Median OS for all-comers was 15.5 mo. Community treatment site, comorbidity score, and larger primary tumors were associated with worse survival. Chemotherapy, primary resection, and curative intent surgery predicted improved survival on multivariate Cox regression., Conclusions: An aggressive surgical approach to primary LMS with SILM was undertaken for select patients in our population and found to be associated with improved OS. This approach should be considered for suitable patients at high-volume centers., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Introduction: We explored the association between weekend discharge and 30- and 90-d readmission rates in patients undergoing hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS/HIPEC) for peritoneal carcinomatosis., Methods: The US HIPEC Collaborative database, comprised of a longitudinal cohort of patients undergoing CRS/HIPEC for peritoneal carcinomatosis at twelve academic institutions between 2000 and 2017, was queried for date of discharge information. Patients were retrospectively divided into weekday and weekend/holiday discharge groups. Patients <18 y old, lacking day of discharge information, or who experienced intraoperative/in-hospital mortality were excluded. Comparisons were made between patients discharged on a weekday versus those discharged on a weekend or major holiday., Results: 1415 patients met inclusion criteria for the study: 1108 (78%) patients with a weekday discharge and 308 (22%) with a weekend/holiday discharge. Median age at time of surgery was 55 y (Interquartile Range: 46-63); 59% (n = 841) patients were female, 25% (n = 328) of patients had high volume disease (defined as a peritoneal cancer index >20 intraoperatively), and 92% (n = 1210) of patients had a complete cytoreduction (defined as a completeness of cytoreduction score of 0 or 1). Overall, 15% (n = 218) of patients were readmitted within 30 d and 19% (n = 265) within 90 d. In a linear mixed effects model, weekend discharge was not associated with higher 30- or 90-d readmissions (P = 0.291, P = 0.743)., Conclusions: Weekend discharges are safe following CRS/HIPEC. Length of stay initiatives should focus on discharging the patient when medically ready, rather than avoiding weekend discharge out of an abundance of caution., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Using a national database of cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS/HIPEC) recipients, we sought to determine risk factors for nonhome discharge (NHD) in a cohort of patients., Methods: Patients undergoing CRS/HIPEC at any one of 12 participating sites between 2000 and 2017 were identified. Univariate analysis was used to compare the characteristics, operative variables, and postoperative complications of patients discharged home and patients with NHD. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify independent risk factors of NHD., Results: The cohort included 1593 patients, of which 70 (4.4%) had an NHD. The median [range] peritoneal cancer index in our cohort was 14 [0-39]. Significant predictors of NHD identified in our regression analysis were advanced age (odds ratio [OR], 1.09; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.05-1.12; P < 0.001), an American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score of 4 (OR, 2.87; 95% CI, 1.21-6.83; P = 0.017), appendiceal histology (OR, 3.14; 95% CI 1.57-6.28; P = 0.001), smoking history (OR, 3.22; 95% CI, 1.70-6.12; P < 0.001), postoperative total parenteral nutrition (OR, 3.14; 95% CI, 1.70-5.81; P < 0.001), respiratory complications (OR, 7.40; 95% CI, 3.36-16.31; P < 0.001), wound site infections (OR, 3.12; 95% CI, 1.58-6.17; P = 0.001), preoperative hemoglobin (OR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.70-0.94; P = 0.006), and total number of complications (OR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.16-1.73; P < 0.001)., Conclusions: Early identification of patients at high risk for NHD after CRS/HIPEC is key for preoperative and postoperative counseling and resource allocation, as well as minimizing hospital-acquired conditions and associated health care costs., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)