AIM： To prospectively long term clinical impact evaluate the short and of selective transarterial chemoembolization （TACE） on fiver function in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC）. To assess side effects...AIM： To prospectively long term clinical impact evaluate the short and of selective transarterial chemoembolization （TACE） on fiver function in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC）. To assess side effects in relation to treatments. To analyze the overall survival and HCC progression free survival probability. METHODS： One hundred and seventeen cirrhotic patients with HCC were enrolled. Baseline liver function included Child-Pugh score and serum levels of alanine- aminotransferase （ALT）, prothrombin time （PT） and bilirubin. According to Cancer Liver Italian Program （CLIP） and Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer （BCLC） staging systems, 71 patients were eligible for TACE; 32 had previously received treatment for HCC. No significant differences in liver function were observed between previously treated and not treated patients. TACE was performed by selective catheterization of the arteries nourishing the lesions. While hospitalized, patients underwent clinical, hematologic and ultrasonographic assessments. One month after TACE a CT scan was performed to assess tumor response. A second TACE was performed ＂on demand＂ Liver function tests were checked in all patients every four months. RESULTS： After first TACE, the mean Child-Pugh score increased from a mean baseline 5.62 ±1.12 to 6.11 ±1.57 at discharge time （P 〈 0.0001）, decreasing after four months to 5.81 ± 0.73 （not significant）. ALT, PT and bilirubin significantly （P 〈 0.0001） increased 24 h after TACE and progressively decreased until discharge. After the second TACE, variations in Child-Pugh score, ALT, PT and bilirubin were comparable to that described after the first TACE. No major complications were observed. The mean follow-up was 14.7 ＋ 6.3 mo （median： 16 mo）. Only one patient died. No other patient experienced important long term worsening of clinical status. The overall survival probability at twenty-four months was 98.18% with a correspondent HCC progression free survival probability of 69%. CONCLUSION： Selective TACE may produce significant, but transitory increases in ALT values, with no major impact on liver function and Child-Pugh score. Preservation of liver function is achievable also in patients previously treated with other therapeutic modalities and in patients undergoing multiple TACE cycles. Liver function can remain stable in the long-term, with optimal medium term survival. This result can be achieved through rigorous patient selection on the basis of tumour characteristics and clinical conditions.展开更多
We described the case of a peripancreatic paraganglioma(PGL)misdiagnosed as pancreatic lesion.Surgical exploration revealed an unremarkable pancreas and a large well-defined cystic mass originating at the mesocolon ro...We described the case of a peripancreatic paraganglioma(PGL)misdiagnosed as pancreatic lesion.Surgical exploration revealed an unremarkable pancreas and a large well-defined cystic mass originating at the mesocolon root.Radical enucleation of the mass was performed,preserving the pancreatic tail.Histologically,a diagnosis of PGL was rendered.Interestingly,two previously unreported mutations,one affecting the KDR gene in exon 7 and another on the JAK3 gene in exon 4 were detected.Both mutations are known to be pathogenetic.Imaging and cytologic findings were blindly reviewed by an expert panel of clinicians,radiologists,and pathologists to identify possible causes of the misdiagnosis.The major issue was lack of evidence of a cleavage plane from the pancreas at imaging,which prompted radiologists to establish an intraparenchymal origin.The blinded revision shifted the diagnosis towards an extrapancreatic lesion,as the pancreatic parenchyma showed no structural alterations and no dislocation of the Wirsung duct.Ex post,the identified biases were the emergency setting of the radiologic examination and the very thin mesocolon sheet,which hindered clear definition of the lesion borders.Original endoscopic ultrasonography diagnosis was confirmed,emphasizing the intrinsic limit of this technique in detecting large masses.Finally,pathologic review favored a diagnosis of PGL due to the morphological features and immonohistochemical profile.Eighteen months after tumor excision,the patient is asymptomatic with no disease relapse evident by either radiology or laboratory tests.Our report strongly highlights the difficulties in rendering an accurate preoperative diagnosis of PGL.展开更多
文摘AIM： To prospectively long term clinical impact evaluate the short and of selective transarterial chemoembolization （TACE） on fiver function in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC）. To assess side effects in relation to treatments. To analyze the overall survival and HCC progression free survival probability. METHODS： One hundred and seventeen cirrhotic patients with HCC were enrolled. Baseline liver function included Child-Pugh score and serum levels of alanine- aminotransferase （ALT）, prothrombin time （PT） and bilirubin. According to Cancer Liver Italian Program （CLIP） and Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer （BCLC） staging systems, 71 patients were eligible for TACE; 32 had previously received treatment for HCC. No significant differences in liver function were observed between previously treated and not treated patients. TACE was performed by selective catheterization of the arteries nourishing the lesions. While hospitalized, patients underwent clinical, hematologic and ultrasonographic assessments. One month after TACE a CT scan was performed to assess tumor response. A second TACE was performed ＂on demand＂ Liver function tests were checked in all patients every four months. RESULTS： After first TACE, the mean Child-Pugh score increased from a mean baseline 5.62 ±1.12 to 6.11 ±1.57 at discharge time （P 〈 0.0001）, decreasing after four months to 5.81 ± 0.73 （not significant）. ALT, PT and bilirubin significantly （P 〈 0.0001） increased 24 h after TACE and progressively decreased until discharge. After the second TACE, variations in Child-Pugh score, ALT, PT and bilirubin were comparable to that described after the first TACE. No major complications were observed. The mean follow-up was 14.7 ＋ 6.3 mo （median： 16 mo）. Only one patient died. No other patient experienced important long term worsening of clinical status. The overall survival probability at twenty-four months was 98.18% with a correspondent HCC progression free survival probability of 69%. CONCLUSION： Selective TACE may produce significant, but transitory increases in ALT values, with no major impact on liver function and Child-Pugh score. Preservation of liver function is achievable also in patients previously treated with other therapeutic modalities and in patients undergoing multiple TACE cycles. Liver function can remain stable in the long-term, with optimal medium term survival. This result can be achieved through rigorous patient selection on the basis of tumour characteristics and clinical conditions.
文摘We described the case of a peripancreatic paraganglioma(PGL)misdiagnosed as pancreatic lesion.Surgical exploration revealed an unremarkable pancreas and a large well-defined cystic mass originating at the mesocolon root.Radical enucleation of the mass was performed,preserving the pancreatic tail.Histologically,a diagnosis of PGL was rendered.Interestingly,two previously unreported mutations,one affecting the KDR gene in exon 7 and another on the JAK3 gene in exon 4 were detected.Both mutations are known to be pathogenetic.Imaging and cytologic findings were blindly reviewed by an expert panel of clinicians,radiologists,and pathologists to identify possible causes of the misdiagnosis.The major issue was lack of evidence of a cleavage plane from the pancreas at imaging,which prompted radiologists to establish an intraparenchymal origin.The blinded revision shifted the diagnosis towards an extrapancreatic lesion,as the pancreatic parenchyma showed no structural alterations and no dislocation of the Wirsung duct.Ex post,the identified biases were the emergency setting of the radiologic examination and the very thin mesocolon sheet,which hindered clear definition of the lesion borders.Original endoscopic ultrasonography diagnosis was confirmed,emphasizing the intrinsic limit of this technique in detecting large masses.Finally,pathologic review favored a diagnosis of PGL due to the morphological features and immonohistochemical profile.Eighteen months after tumor excision,the patient is asymptomatic with no disease relapse evident by either radiology or laboratory tests.Our report strongly highlights the difficulties in rendering an accurate preoperative diagnosis of PGL.
