Alfredo Escartín

Background: Whether tumor functional status influences postoperative outcomes after left pancreatectomy (LP) for pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNETs) remains unknown. We evaluated the association between functional status, perioperative management, and postoperative outcomes in a prospective nationwide cohort of patients undergoing LP for pNET. Methods: This prespecified analysis of the prospective multicenter SPANDISPAN study included consecutive patients undergoing elective LP at 41 Spanish hospitals between February 2022 and January 2023. Of 98 patients with pNET, functional status was available in 88 (14 functioning and 74 non-functioning tumors). Perioperative characteristics, spleen preservation, and postoperative outcomes were compared according to tumor functional status. Results: Spleen preservation was performed in 28.6% of functioning and 18.9% of non-functioning tumors (p = 0.472; risk difference 9.7 percentage points, 95% CI [confidence interval] −15.6 to 34.9). Patients with functioning tumors had lower rates of clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula (7.1% vs. 36.5%; p = 0.032; risk difference −29.3 percentage points, 95% CI −46.7 to −12.0), shorter length of hospital stay (median 4 vs. 7 days; p = 0.036), and no 90-day readmissions (0% vs. 31.1%; p = 0.017; risk difference −31.1 percentage points, 95% CI −41.6 to −20.5). Tumor functional status was not significantly associated with the use of spleen-preserving resection. Conclusions: Functional status is associated with clinically relevant differences in postoperative outcomes after LP for pNET. Patients with functioning tumors experienced lower postoperative morbidity than those with non-functioning tumors, whereas no statistically significant association was detected between tumor functional status and spleen preservation. These exploratory findings suggest that tumor functional status may warrant consideration as an additional factor in perioperative risk stratification and patient counseling, pending confirmation in larger, adequately powered studies; spleen preservation should continue to be guided by established oncological criteria.

Background: Minimally invasive left pancreatectomy (MILP) has become the preferred approach to treat lesions of the pancreatic body and tail. However, the procedure may require conversion to open surgery, with reported conversion rates varying widely in the literature. This study aims to evaluate the incidence, causes, and clinical outcomes associated with conversion to open surgery in a prospective multicenter series. Methods: The SPANDISPAN Project is a prospective, multicenter study conducted at 41 Spanish hospitals from February 2022 to January 2023. Patients were divided into conversion and nonconversion groups to identify predictors using univariate and multivariate logistic regression models. Results: Of 313 recorded left pancreatectomies, 217 (69.3%) were MILP procedures. The conversion rate was 10.6%. Reasons for conversion included hemorrhage (60.9%) and intraoperative technical difficulties (39.1%). Multivariable analysis identified intraoperative blood loss (OR 1.65 per 100‐mL increment; p < 0.001) and intraoperative transfusion (OR 7.777; p = 0.012) as independent intraoperative correlates of conversion, reflecting the bleeding‐related process leading to conversion rather than preoperative predictors available for case selection. Low center volume was associated with a higher conversion rate in univariable analysis (14.5% vs. 6%; p = 0.042) with a nonsignificant protective trend for high‐volume centers after multivariable adjustment (OR 0.339; p = 0.075). Although patients who required conversion had longer operative times and hospital stays, there were no significant differences in major complications, postoperative pancreatic fistula, or mortality between the groups. Conclusions: Conversion to open surgery during MILP is primarily driven by intraoperative bleeding‐related events rather than by preoperative patient or tumor characteristics. Treatment at a high‐volume center was associated with a lower conversion rate, although this trend did not reach significance after multivariable adjustment. Conversion was not associated with a significant increase in major morbidity or mortality in this cohort, supporting its use as a proactive safety measure rather than a surgical failure, although the limited number of conversion events warrants a cautious interpretation of this negative finding.

Background/Objectives: Like many other countries, the management of pancreatic cancer in Spain has developed in a fragmented manner. This study analyzes clinical outcomes related to patient volume at different centers after left pancreatectomy (LP). Our goal is to determine whether our practices align with the standards established in the literature and assess whether centralization’s advantages significantly outweigh its disadvantages. Methods: The SPANDISPAN Project (SPANish DIStal PANcreatectomy) is an observational, prospective, multicenter study focused on LP conducted in Spanish Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary (HPB) Surgery Units from 1 February 2022 to 31 January 2023. HPB units were defined as high volume if they performed more than 10 LPs annually. Results: This study included 313 patients who underwent LP at 42 centers across Spain over the course of a year. A total of 40.3% of the procedures were performed in high-volume centers. Significant differences in preoperative variables were only observed in ASA scores, which were higher in the high-volume group. Intraoperatively, minimally invasive surgical techniques were performed more frequently in high-volume centers. Postoperatively, the administration of somatostatin, major complications, and B and C postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) were more frequent in low-volume hospitals. Conclusions: The findings revealed that high-volume centers had a higher rate of minimally invasive surgery, lower intraoperative bleeding, fewer complications, and reduced POPFs compared to low-volume centers. However, it is important to note that low-volume centers still demonstrated acceptable outcomes. Thus, the selective referral of more complex laparoscopic procedures could initiate a gradual centralization of surgical practices.

Background/Objectives: Like many other countries, the management of pancreatic cancer in Spain has developed in a fragmented manner. This study analyzes clinical outcomes related to patient volume at different centers after left pancreatectomy (LP). Our goal is to determine whether our practices align with the standards established in the literature and assess whether centralization's advantages significantly outweigh its disadvantages. Methods: The SPANDISPAN Project (SPANish DIStal PANcreatectomy) is an observational, prospective, multicenter study focused on LP conducted in Spanish Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary (HPB) Surgery Units from February 1st, 2022, to January 31st, 2023. HPB units were defined as high volume if they performed more than 10 LPs annually. Results: This study included 313 patients who underwent LP at 41 centers across Spain over the course of a year. 40.3% of the procedures were performed in high-volume centers. Significant differences in preoperative variables were only ob-served in ASA scores, which were higher in the high-volume group. Intraoperatively, minimally invasive surgical techniques were performed more frequently in high-volume centers. Postoperatively, the administration of somatostatin, major com-plications, and B and C postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) were more frequent in low-volume hospitals. Conclusions: The findings revealed that high-volume centers had a higher rate of minimally invasive surgery, lower intraoperative bleeding, fewer complications, and reduced POPFs compared to low-volume centers. However, it is important to note that low-volume centers still demonstrated acceptable outcomes. Thus, the selective referral of more complex laparoscopic procedures could initiate a gradual centralization of surgical practices.

(1) Background: The liver-first approach may be indicated for colorectal cancer patients with synchronous liver metastases to whom preoperative chemotherapy opens a potential window in which liver resection may be undertaken. This study aims to present the data of feasibility and short-term outcomes in the liver-first approach. (2) Methods: A prospective observational study was performed in Spanish hospitals that had a medium/high-volume of HPB surgeries from 1 June 2019 to 31 August 2020. (3) Results: In total, 40 hospitals participated, including a total of 2288 hepatectomies, 1350 for colorectal liver metastases, 150 of them (11.1%) using the liver-first approach, 63 (42.0%) in hospitals performing p = 0.0213). In 81.1% of the cases, the primary tumor was in the rectum or sigmoid colon. In total, 40% of the patients underwent major hepatectomies. The surgical approach was open surgery in 87 (58.0%) patients. Resection margins were R0 in 78.5% of the patients. In total, 40 (26.7%) patients had complications after the liver resection and 36 (27.3%) had complications after the primary resection. One-hundred and thirty-two (89.3%) patients completed the therapeutic regime. (4) Conclusions: There were no differences in the surgical outcomes between the centers performing <50 and ≥50 hepatectomies/year. Further analysis evaluating factors associated with clinical outcomes and determining the best candidates for this approach will be subsequently conducted.

The robotic approach to gastric cancer has been gaining interest in recent years; however, its benefit over the open procedure in total gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy is still controversial. The aims of the study were to compare postoperative morbidity and mortality, hospital stay, and anatomopathological findings between the robotic and open approaches to oncologic total gastrectomy. We analyzed a prospectively collected database, which included patients who underwent total gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy in our center using a robotic or an open approach between 2014 and 2021. Comparative analysis of clinicopathological, intraoperative, postoperative and anatomopathological variables between the robot-assisted group and the open group was performed. Thirty patients underwent total gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy by a robotic approach and 48 patients by an open procedure. Both groups were comparable. The robot-assisted group presented a lower rate of Clavien-Dindo complications ≥ stage II (20 vs. 48%, p = 0.048), a shorter hospital stay (7 days vs. 9 days, p = 0.003) and had a higher total number of lymph nodes resected (22 nodes vs. 15 nodes, p = 0.001) compared to the open approach. Operative time was longer in the robotic group (325 min vs. 195 min, p < 0.001) compared to the open group. The robotic approach is associated with a longer surgical time, a lower rate of Clavien-Dindo complications ≥ stage II and a shorter hospital stay, and more lymph nodes were resected compared to the open approach.

Early cholecystectomy is the gold standard treatment for acute calculous cholecystitis (AC), although for grade II, many surgeons still prefer delayed cholecystectomy, to avoid surgical complications. The aim of this study is to analyze postoperative morbidity and mortality for Tokyo Guidelines grade II AC treated with cholecystectomy, taking in to account the days of symptoms and the days since hospital admission. Unicentre, retrospective study based on a prospective database. Patients with grade II AC treated with cholecystectomy were selected. Patients were analyzed according to Days of Symptoms (DS) and Days of Hospital Admission (DHA) until cholecystectomy. Patients were subdivided in: < 3 days, 3-5 days, >5 days. Univariant and multivariant analysis for morbidity and mortality. Categorical variables were compared using chi square or Fischer's exact test. Continuous variables were compared using the Mann Whitney U test. Level of statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. 998 patients with AC diagnoses were included; 567 with grade II AC; 368 treated with cholecystectomy. Nearly 90% were treated laparoscopically; 48.1% were operated the same day of emergency admission. For DS and DHA there were no statistical differences for severe postoperative complications, although a greater number of complications were detected in >5 DS (p: 0.32) and >5 DHA (p: 0.00). Statistically differences were found in DS for mortality (p:0.04). Postoperative length of stay was longer for >5 DHA cholecystectomies, (p > 0.05). No differences for hospital readmission. Regardless of DS or DHA until cholecystectomy, do not exist statistically significant differences related to severe postoperative complications, length of stay or mortality.