A. James Moser

1501 Background: The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of known heritable germline mutations in unselected PDAC patients and to determine how well current guidelines for genetic testing identify mutation carriers. Methods: Consecutive, unselected patients with recently diagnosed PDAC from three centers were enrolled from May to December 2016 in an ongoing prospective study. A three-generation pedigree was obtained. Germline mutations in 12 genes associated with PDAC risk ( APC, ATM, BRCA1, BRCA2, CDKN2A, EPCAM, MLH1, MSH2, PALB2, PMS2, STK11, TP53) and in 19 genes related to other cancer risks were screened for by NGS. American College of Gastroenterology and NCCN criteria for genetic testing for BRCA1/2, Lynch syndrome, and Familial Pancreatic Cancer (FPC) were assessed. Results: Among 183 patients, 46% are female, 79% are Caucasian and 10% are Ashkenazi Jewish, with median (IQR) age 68 (62,75) years at diagnosis. 41% of patients met ³1 criteria for genetic testing (35.5% BRCA1/2, 2.7% Lynch, 9.3% FPC). Twenty patients (11%) were found to have a total of 21 pathogenic mutations (table). Mutation status was not associated with age at diagnosis, sex, or personal history of cancer (all p > 0.05). Six mutation carriers (30% of positives) did not meet current criteria for genetic testing. Conclusions: Preliminary results show that 6.6% of unselected PDAC patients carry a germline mutation in a gene known to increase PDAC risk and 4.3% have a mutation in genes not previously linked to PDAC. Existing testing criteria did not identify 30% of carriers. Continued refinement of guidelines is necessary to align genetic testing with inherited PDAC risk. Clinical trial information: NCT02790944. [Table: see text]

There are many theoretical advantages that a minimally invasive approach to the pancreaticoduodenectomy might offer patients with benign and malignant disease of the head of the pancreas over traditional open techniques, including improved recovery time, decreased hospital stay, and earlier initiation of and higher rate of completion of adjuvant therapy. The goal of this study was to assess the oncologic and safety outcomes after a robot-assisted approach to pancreaticoduodenectomy. Retrospective review of a prospectively acquired database of robot-assisted pancreaticoduodenectomy (RAPD) for periampullary lesions between October 2008 and December 2010. Fifty patients underwent attempted RAPD. Conversion to open procedure was required in eight patients (16%). At intention-to-treat analysis, pancreatic fistula as defined by the International Study Group of Pancreatic Surgery occurred in 10 patients (20%). Most patients experienced either no (21, 42%) postoperative complications or minor Clavien I/II events (13, 26%). Major morbidity (Clavien III/IV) occurred in 15 patients (30%). The margin-negative resection rate was 89%, and the median number of lymph nodes collected was 18. Fifteen patients met the eligibility criteria for adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery. Eleven (73.3%) of 15 eligible patients were treated with adjuvant therapy at a mean of 11.5 weeks after surgery. RAPD can be performed with safety and oncologic outcomes comparable to open or laparoscopic approaches. Results of this early series suggest that the robot-assisted approach holds promise. Larger, more mature multi-institutional cohorts will be needed to explore potential benefits over open and laparoscopic techniques.

Complex pancreatic resection remains the final frontier for minimally invasive surgery because of the twin technical challenges of controlling hemorrhage from major vessels and reconstructing the biliary and pancreatic ducts with acceptable morbidity. Despite recent data suggesting that complex pancreatic operations can be performed laparoscopically at high-volume centers,^1-3 the use of traditional laparoscopic instruments has required that critical technical principles of open pancreatic surgery be modified to overcome the limitations of current technology. Examples include limited range of instrument motion, poor surgeon ergonomics, reliance on 2-dimensional imaging, and reduced dexterity, which precludes facile sewing with fine suture. Robotic-assisted minimally invasive surgery addresses many of the shortcomings of traditional laparoscopy and may permit complex anastomotic reconstruction to be performed with the same techniques as open surgery. Robotic-enhanced dexterity, binocular 3-dimensional imaging, 3-axis motion of surgical instruments, and improved ergonomics may allow difficult pancreatic resections to be accomplished with safety and efficacy equal to those of open surgery but with reduced time to recovery and potentially improved cancer-specific outcomes.