Background Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is considered nowadays as the standard management of acute cholecystitis (AC). However, results from multicentric studies in the general surgical community are still lacking. Methods A prospective multicenter survey of surgical management of AC patients was conducted over a 2-year period in Belgium. Operative features and patients' clinical outcome were recorded. The impact of independent predictive factors on the choice of surgical approach, the risk of conversion, and the occurrence of postoperative complications was studied by multivariate logistic regression analysis.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains one of the most aggressive solid tumours with an estimated 5-year overall survival rate of 7% for all stages combined. In this highly resistant disease that is located in the vicinity of many radiosensitive organs, the role of radiotherapy (RT) and indications for its use in this setting have been debated for a long time and are still under investigation. Although a survival benefit has yet to be clearly demonstrated for RT, it is the only technique, other than surgery, that has been demonstrated to lead to local control improvement. The adjuvant approach is now strongly challenged by neoadjuvant treatments that could spare patients with rapidly progressive systemic disease from unnecessary surgery and may increase free margin (R0) resection rates for those eligible for surgery. Recently developed dose-escalated RT treatments, designed either to maintain full-dose chemotherapy or to deliver a high biologically effective dose, particularly to areas of contact between the tumour and blood vessels, such as hypofractionated ablative RT (HFA-RT) or stereotactic body RT (SBRT), are progressively changing the treatment landscape. These modern strategies are currently being tested in prospective clinical trials with encouraging preliminary results, paving the way for more effective treatment combinations using novel targeted therapies. This review summarizes the current literature regarding the use of RT for the treatment of primary PDAC, describes the limitations of conventional RT, and discusses the emerging role of dose-escalated RT and heavy-particle RT.

Background: Our aim was to evaluate the feasibility and safety of isotoxic high-dose (iHD) stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) in a total neoadjuvant sequence for the treatment of localized pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Materials and methods: Biopsy-proven borderline resectable/locally advanced pancreatic cancer (BR/LAPC) patients were included in this observational prospective analysis from August 2017 to April 2020 without excluding tumours showing a radiological direct gastrointestinal (GI) invasion. An induction chemotherapy by modified fluorouracil, irinotecan and oxaliplatin was performed for a median of six cycles. In case of non-progression, an isotoxic high-dose stereotactic body radiotherapy (iHD-SBRT) was delivered in 5 fractions followed by a surgical exploration. The primary endpoint was acute/late gastrointestinal grade ⩾3 toxicity. Secondary endpoints were overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS) and local control (LC). Results: A total of 39 consecutive patients (21 BR and 18 LAPC) were included: 34 patients (87.2%, 18 BR and 16 LAPC) completed the planned neoadjuvant sequence. After iHD-SBRT, 19 patients [55.9% overall, 13/18 BR (72.2%) and 6/16 LAPC (37.5%)] underwent an oncological resection among the 25 patients surgically explored (73.5%). The median follow up was 18.2 months. The rates of acute and late GI grade 3 toxicity were, respectively, 2.9% and 4.2%. The median OS and PFS from diagnosis were, respectively, 24.5 and 15.6 months. The resected patients had improved median OS and PFS in comparison with the non-resected patients (OS: 32.3 versus 18.2 months, p = 0.02; PFS: 24.1 versus 7.1 months, p < 0.001). There was no survival difference between the BR and LAPC patients. The 1-year LC from SBRT was 74.1% and the median locoregional PFS was not reached for both BR and LAPC patients. Conclusions: iHD-SBRT displays an excellent toxicity profile, also for potentially high-risk patients with radiological direct GI invasion at diagnosis and can be easily integrated in a total neoadjuvant strategy. The oncological outcomes are promising and emphasise the need for further exploration of iHD-SBRT in phase II/III trials.

BACKGROUND:Because of its known malignant potential, precise histologic diagnosis of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm of the pancreas (IPMN) during intraoperative pancreatoscopy (IOP) is essential for complete surgical resection. The impact of IOP on perioperative IPMN patient management was reviewed over 20 years of practice at Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc, Brussels, Belgium. STUDY DESIGN: Among 86 IPMN patients treated by pancreatectomy between 1991 and 2013, 21 patients had a dilated main pancreatic duct enabling IOP and were retrospectively reviewed. The IOP was performed using an ultrathin flexible endoscope and biopsy forceps, and specimens of all suspicious lesions underwent frozen section examination. RESULTS:Complete IOP with intraductal biopsies was easily and safely performed in 21 patients, revealing 8 occult IPMN lesions. In 5 cases (23.8%), initially planned surgical resection was modified secondary to IOP: 3 for carcinoma in situ and 2 for invasive carcinoma. The postoperative morbidity rate at 3 months was 25.0% (5 of 20); 1 patient died from septic shock postoperatively and was excluded. Median follow-up was 93 months (range 13 to 248 months). Nineteen of 21 patients were still alive and free of disease at last follow-up (90.5%); there was 1 patient with invasive carcinoma at initial pathology (pT3 N1) who died of pulmonary recurrence 21 months after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Intraoperative pancreatoscopy of the main pancreatic duct combined with intraductal biopsies plays a significant role in the surgical management of IPMN patients and should be used in all patients presenting a sufficiently dilated main pancreatic duct.