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Objectives: Endoscopic ultrasound-guided tissue acquisition (EUS-TA) plays a crucial role in the diagnosis of pancreatic tumors. The present study aimed to investigate the current status of needle tract seeding (NTS) after EUS-TA of pancreatic tumors based on a nationwide survey in Japan.Methods: Patients who underwent surgical resection of primary pancreatic tumors after EUS-TA performed between April 2010 and March 2018 were surveyed. The incidence rates of NTS were determined, and compared in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDACs) and other tumors, and in patients who underwent transgastric and transduodenal EUS-TA of PDACs. The detailed features and prognosis of patients with NTS were also assessed.Results: A total of 12,109 patients underwent surgical resection of primary pancreatic tumors after EUS-TA. The overall incidence rate of NTS was 0.330%, and the NTS rate was significantly higher in patients with PDAC than in those with other tumors (0.409% vs. 0.071%, P = 0.004). NTS was observed in 0.857% of patients who underwent transgastric EUS-TA, but in none of those who underwent transduodenal EUS-TA. Of the patients with NTS of PDACs, the median time from EUS-TA to occurrence of NTS and median patient survival were 19.3 and 44.7 months, respectively, with 97.4% of NTS located in the gastric wall and 65.8% of NTS resected. The patient survival was significantly longer in patients who underwent NTS resection than in those without NTS resection (P = 0.037).Conclusions: Needle tract seeding appeared only after transgastric not after transduodenal EUS-TA. Careful follow-up provides an opportunity to remove localized NTS lesions by gastrectomy.

Objective The aim of the study was to develop a formula for predicting the probability of malignancy of mucinous cystic neoplasm (MCN) of the pancreas with ovarian-type stroma. Methods A total of 364 patients were enrolled. A total score was calculated as the sum of the approximate integers of the odds ratios of the predictive factors identified by multivariate analysis. The relationship between the total score and pathological results was assessed. Results A total of 321 patients had benign MCN and 43 had malignant MCN. Five possible predictive factors were analyzed: 56 years or older, high serum carcinoembryonic antigen level, high carbohydrate antigen 19-9 level, tumor size of 51 mm or greater, and the presence of mural nodules. The total score was significantly higher in patients with malignant MCN (median, 24; range, 0–37) compared with benign MCN (median, 5; range, 0–33; P < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis demonstrated that the area under the curve was 0.86, and the sensitivity and specificity of the total score for discriminating malignant MCNs were 72% and 83%, respectively, using a cut-off value of 22. Conclusions The current simple formula can predict the malignancy of MCN and may thus contribute to the adequate management of patients with MCN.

This regimen was feasible and highly active resulting in encouraging survival in patients with LAPC. Further investigations are warranted to elucidate the effectiveness of this treatment strategy in future studies. Clinical trials information: UMIN000006332.

Overall survival in a phase III study for metastatic pancreatic cancer has significantly improved with gemcitabine (GEM) plus nab-paclitaxel. However, to date, there is limited data on the efficacy and safety of its use for patients with locally advanced (LA) or borderline resectable pancreatic cancer (BRPC). Here, we investigated the efficacy and safety of first-line GEM plus nab-paclitaxel for LA or BRPC. We retrospectively analysed consecutive patients with pathologically confirmed, untreated LA or BRPC who started receiving first-line GEM plus nab-paclitaxel. A total of 30 patients (LA, n = 22; BRPC, n = 8) were analysed. Twelve patients (40%) without distant metastasis received additional chemoradiotherapy using S-1. Laparotomy was performed on 8 patients and 6 (20%; LA, n = 3; BR, n = 3) achieved R0 resection. Objective response rate was 44.8%. For all patients, median progression-free survival and overall survival were 14.8 and 29.9 months, respectively. Median overall survival for LA was 24.1 months with a 2-year survival rate of 50.8%. The most frequently observed grade 3 or 4 toxicities were neutropenia (73%) and biliary infection (13%). First-line GEM plus nab-paclitaxel was well-tolerated and feasible with an encouraging survival for LA or BRPC.