Better preoperative characterization of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) would aid in treatment optimization. Extracellular vesicles (EV) are promising, largely unexplored biomarkers in PDAC. This study aimed to evaluate if plasma EV characteristics are associated with PDAC clinical characteristics and overall survival (OS). The prospective cohort included 34 PDAC patients undergoing surgery with curative intent. Patient data and plasma samples were collected preoperatively, intraoperatively and one month postoperatively. Small plasma EV (sEV) concentration and size were determined by nanoparticle-tracking analysis. A Mann–Whitney test, Spearman’s rho and Cox regression were used in statistical analysis. Preoperatively, patients with poorly differentiated tumors had significantly larger plasma sEVs when compared to patients with well/moderately differentiated tumors (mean diameter 176.9 vs. 149.2 nm, p = 0.021), the sEV size even enabling discrimination of the two groups (AUC = 0.742, 95% CI = 0.560–0.923). Plasma sEV characteristics were also a predictor of OS in multivariable analysis. Patients with a more than 33.8% increase in sEV concentration after one month had 7.2 months shorter median OS (p = 0.002), while patients with a more than 28.0% decrease in sEV size had 9.2 months shorter median OS (p = 0.045). Plasma sEV concentration and size correlate with tumor differentiation and may predict OS in PDAC patients. In the future, plasma sEV characteristics could contribute to improved patient stratification for optimized treatment.

Introduction Published data regarding robot-assisted hiatal hernia repair are mainly limited to small cohorts. This study aimed to provide information on the morbidity and mortality of robot-assisted complex hiatal hernia repair and redo antireflux surgery in a high-volume center. Materials and methodsAll patients that underwent robot-assisted hiatal hernia repair, redo hiatal hernia repair, and antireflux surgery between 2011 and 2017 at the Meander Medical Centre, Amersfoort, the Netherlands were evaluated. Primary endpoints were 30-day morbidity and mortality. Major complications were defined as Clavien-Dindo ≥ IIIb. Results Primary surgery 211 primary surgeries were performed by two surgeons. The median age was 67 (IQR 58-73) years. 84.4% of patients had a type III or IV hernia (10.9% Type I; 1.4% Type II; 45.5% Type III; 38.9% Type IV, 1.4% no herniation). In 3.3% of procedures, conversion was required. 17.1% of patients experienced complications. The incidence of major complications was 5.2%. Ten patients (4.7%) were readmitted within 30 days. Symptomatic early recurrence occurred in two patients (0.9%). The 30-day mortality was 0.9%. Redo surgery 151 redo procedures were performed by two surgeons. The median age was 60 (IQR 51-68) years. In 2.0%, the procedure was converted. The overall incidence of complications was 10.6%, while the incidence of major complications was 2.6%. Three patients (2.0%) were readmitted within 30 days. One patient (0.7%) experienced symptomatic early recurrence. No patients died in the 30-day postoperative period. Conclusions This study provides valuable information on robot-assisted laparoscopic repair of primary or recurrent hiatal hernia and anti-reflux surgery for both patient and surgeon. Serious morbidity of 5.2% in primary surgery and 2.6% in redo surgery, in this large series with a high surgeon caseload, has to be outweighed by the gain in quality of life or relief of serious medical implications of hiatal hernia when counseling for surgical intervention.

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BACKGROUND With improved survival in gastric cancer patients, health-related quality of life has become an important clinical endpoint alongside primary oncological outcomes. AIM To investigate health-related quality of life after various surgical procedures for gastric cancer treatment. METHODS The validated Slovenian version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Core Questionnaire (QLQ-C30) and its gastric cancer-specific module (QLQ STO-22) was sent for self-completion to patients that underwent curative resection for gastric adenocarcinoma between January 2014 and December 2018 at our centre. In total, 116 patients responded. Scores were compared between patients after subtotal distal vs total gastrectomy and patients after subtotal distal gastrectomy with Billroth II vs Roux-en-Y reconstruction. RESULTS Interestingly, the extent of resection did not influence daily functioning; however, more dysphagia and eating restrictions were reported in patients after total gastrectomy when compared to patients after subtotal distal gastrectomy. Moreover, patients with Billroth II reconstruction after subtotal distal resection experienced worse physical and role functioning and reported more pain, fatigue and reflux compared to Roux-en-Y reconstruction. CONCLUSION Based on our results, Roux-en-Y reconstruction after subtotal distal gastrectomy should be preferred over Billroth II reconstruction. The data obtained from this study will help surgeons when preoperatively informing their patients about expected functional outcomes after gastrectomy and enable them to ensure proper supportive care of their patients in the postoperative period.