Efficacy of Endoscopic Posterior Nasal Neurectomy in Treating Eosinophilic Chronic Rhinosinusitis

<b><i>Objectives:</i></b> Recent guidelines have revealed that eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis (ECRS) exhibits a strong tendency for recurrence after surgery and impairs quality of life. Neuropeptides play an important neuroimmunological role. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of posterior nasal neurectomy (PNN) for the treatment of ECRS by inhibiting type 2 cytokine expression. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Forty-six patients were divided into group A and group B according to a random number table. Group A underwent conventional functional endoscopic sinusitis surgery (FESS) combined with PNN, and group B underwent conventional FESS alone. The subjective and objective symptoms included a 10-cm visual analog scale (VAS), 22-item SinoNasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22) score, nasal speculum Lund-Kennedy score, and paranasal sinus computed tomography (CT) Lund-Mackay score at the 1-year postoperative follow-up. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Postoperative VAS (10.33 ± 2.18 vs. 8.38 ± 2.11, <i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.01) and Lund-Kennedy score (1.95 ± 1.32 vs. 3.14 ± 1.35, <i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.01) were significantly improved. The rhinorrhea score (1.76 ± 0.83 vs. 2.90 ± 1.14, <i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.001) in the VAS and the discharge (0.43 ± 0.51, vs. 0.95 ± 0.67, <i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.01) and edema (0.57 ± 0.60 vs. 0.95 ± 0.59, <i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.05) scores in the Lund-Kennedy score were observed to have improved significantly in group A compared with those in group B. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> FESS combined with PNN suppresses edema symptoms, which might significantly decrease the surgical recurrence rate of ECRS in the long term.

The Immunology of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Liver cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary malignant tumor of the liver. Liver resection or transplantation offer the only potentially curative options for HCC; however, many patients are not candidates for surgical resection, either due to presentation at advanced stages or poor liver function and portal hypertension. Liver transplantation is also limited to patients with certain characteristics, such as those that meet the Milan criteria (one tumor ≤ 5 cm, or up to three tumors no larger than 3 cm, along with the absence of gross vascular invasion or extrahepatic spread). Locoregional therapies, such as ablation (radiofrequency, ethanol, cryoablation, microwave), trans-arterial therapies like chemoembolization (TACE) or radioembolization (TARE), and external beam radiation therapy, have been used mainly as palliative measures with poor prognosis. Therefore, emerging novel systemic treatments, such as immunotherapy, have increasingly become popular. HCC is immunogenic, containing infiltrating tumor-specific T-cell lymphocytes and other immune cells. Immunotherapy may provide a more effective and discriminatory targeting of tumor cells through induction of a tumor-specific immune response in cancer cells and can improve post-surgical recurrence-free survival in HCC. We herein review evidence supporting different immunomodulating cell-based technology relative to cancer therapy in vaccines and targeted therapies, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors, in the management of hepatocellular carcinoma among patients with advanced disease.

Baseline Alpha-Fetoprotein, Alpha-Fetoprotein-L3, and Des-Gamma-Carboxy Prothrombin Biomarker Status in Bridge to Liver Transplant Outcomes for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

The biomarkers α-fetoprotein (AFP), Lens culinaris agglutinin-reactive AFP fraction (AFP-L3), and des-γ-carboxy prothrombin (DCP) have emerging implications in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) surveillance, overall prognosis, and post-surgical recurrence risk. This retrospective study investigated treatment and bridge to liver transplant (LT) prognosis associated with AFP, AFP-L3%, and DCP biomarker profiles prior to liver-directed therapy (LDT). In a 140-patient cohort, each biomarker was associated with HCC progression risk using the established thresholds of AFP > 20 ng/mL, AFP-L3 > 15%, and DCP > 7.5 ng/mL. Over 60% of the cohort expressed at least one biomarker at baseline. Although most biomarker-positive patients expressed the clinical standard AFP (57/87), only 32% were positive for AFP alone. Biomarker accumulation increased HCC progression risk but was not associated with demographic factors or preserved liver function. Biomarker triple negative patients had smaller index HCC (p = 0.003), decreased multifocal burden (p = 0.010), and a higher objective response rate (ORR, 62% compared to 46%, p = 0.011). Expressing all three biomarkers at baseline was associated with dismal first-line ORR (12%) with a median time to progression (TTP) of only 181 days post-LDT. Patients with triple negative status for the HCC biomarkers AFP, AFP-L3%, and DCP have the highest first-line ORR with < 5% HCC progression 1-year post-LDT. Biomarker profiling can establish baseline prognosis for identifying optimal bridge to LT and downstaging to LT candidates with triple negative biomarker status and providing an ideal post-LDT target as a compliment to radiographic response.

804 The Role of Kono-S Anastomosis and Mesenteric Resection in Reducing Recurrence After Surgery for Crohn’s Disease: A Systematic Review

Aim Recurrence after surgery for Crohn’s disease is common. Anastomotic configuration may influence recurrence and the mesentery may be key.The Kono-S anastomosis and radical mesenteric excision have been proposed as methods of reducing recurrence. We analysed the literature pertaining to these novel techniques. Method We searched MEDLINE, Embase and the Cochrane Library for, studies evaluating Kono-S anastomosis and/or radical mesenteric excision in Crohn’s disease. We assessed methodological quality and risk of bias using the Cochrane tool for randomized controlled trials and the JBI tool for nonrandomized trials. A narrative synthesis was used to summarize the findings. Results Nine studies (896 patients) were identified. Apart from one randomized controlled trial with a low risk of bias the overall level of evidence was poor (Grade IV). The Kono-S anastomosis was associated with a lower incidence of endoscopic and surgical recurrence (0%–3.4% vs 15%–24.4% respectively). Complications, particularly anastomotic leak rate, were also lower (1.8% vs 9.3% respectively). Evidence from a single poor-quality study suggested that mesenteric excision may reduce surgical recurrence rates compared with mesentery preservation. Conclusions The existing literature suggests that the Kono-S anastomosis is safe and may reduce endoscopic and surgical recurrence, but level of evidence is mainly poor. One element of the Kono-S technique, preservation of the mesentery, may be detrimental to recurrence. Further, higher quality, studies are required to investigate these techniques. Such studies should consider the impact of the degree of mesenteric resection in addition to the anastomosis on disease recurrence.

P678 Definition of a microbial signature as a predictor of post-surgical recurrence in patients with Crohn’s disease

Background Although there are several effective drugs for the treatment of Crohn’s disease (CD), almost 80% of patients will end up needing a surgical resection throughout their lives. This procedure is not always curative, as the disease often reappears in the intestine. Endoscopic recurrence occurs in 65%-90% of patients after one year from surgery. The aetiology of the recurrence is unknown; however, several studies have shown how the resident microbiota is modified after surgery. The aim of this study is to evaluate samples from patients with CD before and after an intestinal resection to determine if at baseline there are differences in the abundance of different microbial markers, which could be capable of predicting endoscopic recurrences. Methods In this observational study, a stool sample was obtained from 20 patients with CD before undergoing surgery, recruited at Hospital Universitari Dr. Josep Trueta, Hospital Universitari of Bellvitge, and the Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol. From each sample, DNA was purified and the relative abundance of the following microbial markers was quantified using qPCR: F. prausnitzii (Fpra) and its phylogroups (PHG-I and PHG-II), E. coli (Eco ), A. muciniphila (Akk), Ruminococcus sp. (Rum), Bacteroidetes (Bac), M. smithii (Msm), and total bacterial load (Eub). Results Individually, none of the biomarkers demonstrated the ability to differentiate patients who will develop post-surgical recurrence from those who will not. In contrast, the combination of 4 microbial markers (Eco, PHGI, Bac, and Eub) showed a high capacity of discrimination between the 2 groups. The algorithm that incorporates these three markers shows a sensitivity and specificity of 100% and 90.91%, respectively, and a positive and negative predictive value of 90.00% and 100%, respectively. Conclusion A microbial signature to determine patients who will have post-surgical recurrence has been identified. This tool can be very useful in daily clinical practice allowing to schedule a personalized therapy, enabling preventive treatment only in that subgroup of patients who really require it. A broader prospective study will be needed to validate these results.

Clinical Outcomes in Patients With NFPAs Treated With Stereotactic Linear Accelerator Radiation Therapy

Background: Non-functioning pituitary adenoma (NFPAs) are benign tumors of the pituitary gland characterized by the absence of hormonal hypersecretion. Surgical treatment and fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (FSRT) are necessary in majority of patients. NFPAs appear to cause higher mortality compared to the general population. Objective: To assess outcomes in patients with NFPAs treated with stereotactic linear accelerator radiation therapy. Material and Methods: Comparative, observational, longitudinal study, with prolective evaluation, from January 1987 to August 2019. Results: 264 patients (65.5% women and 34.5% men, mean age 43 ± 16 years) with a diagnosis of non-functional adenomas were evaluated. 30 patients received FSRT (14%), 93% were macroadenomas, and 80% of the cases were operated as a first line of treatment. The mean number of surgeries before radiotherapy was 1.2+-.847 (0-4). FSRT were used in 91.7% (n=21) because of post-surgical recurrence. Diabetes insipidus after surgery was transitory in 5.4%, and persistent in 4.0%. Hypopituitarism was identified in 59.4% before radiation (n=19), and in 13 patients (7.7%) after mean of 6.5+-5.5 years of FSRT. Dyslipidemia (62.0% vs. 45.9%), high blood pressure (16.5% vs. 23%), type 2 diabetes mellitus (10% vs. 77%) and heart failure (10% vs. 8.4%) were observed in the irradiated vs. non-irradiated groups, respectively (p&lt;0.05). Conclusions: FSRT is a useful and safe strategy as an adjuvant treatment in patients with NFPA.

Recurrent primary hyperparathyroidism: a diagnostic and management dilemma

Summary Primary hyperparathyroidism requires a surgical approach to achieve a long-term cure. However, post-surgical recurrence significantly complicates the management of this condition. A number of causes for recurrent disease are well understood and several diagnostic modalities exist to localise the culprit parathyroid adenoma although none of them is efficacious in localisation of the recurrent lesion. In this case report, we highlight a novel causative mechanism and describe a unique diagnostic sequence that enabled curative treatment to be delivered. Learning points In the case described herein, we describe a novel location for a parathyroid adenoma causing recurrent PHPT. The case elucidates well the difficulties presented by such cases in terms of surgical planning and show the utility of PVS in such cases. Based on this case, we make the following recommendations: Meticulous care must be taken to prevent seeding of adenomatous tissue during primary excision. To consider the use of PVS in patients with discordant imaging in the setting of recurrent/persistent PHPT as a method to localise the causative adenoma. Same day PVS and surgery is a viable option for patients who either represent an anaesthetic risk or who are extremely anxious about the prospect of two separate procedures. Disordered calcium homeostasis is an important but forgotten cause of dysphagia which can be extremely debilitating for affected patients.