Frontiers in Surgery

Our medical research library holds 6 studies published in Frontiers in Surgery (2021–2024). Each entry links to the study's record on PubMed and, where there is one, to the publisher's page and a free full text. 6 have an abstract, the authors' own summary as PubMed records it: open "Abstract" to read it.

About the journal

• Publisher: Frontiers Media S.A
• Published: 2014 to the present, Switzerland
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2296-875X (electronic)
• Its record in the NLM Catalog

2020s

• Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma presenting with bilateral hydronephrosis and renal insufficiency: a case report and literature review. J. Luo, J. Pan, C. Zhong, et al. 2024;11:1342657. Case report PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

  Abstract

  Introduction: Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (MPM) is an extremely rare tumor with nonspecific clinical manifestations, making diagnosis challenging.

  Case Presentation: Herein, we report a case of MPM with occult onset presenting with bilateral hydronephrosis and renal insufficiency. A 30-year-old man was admitted to the Urology Department because of recurrent bilateral lower back pain. The etiology was unclear after a series of laboratory tests, imaging examinations, bone marrow aspiration, renal puncture biopsy, ascites examination, ureteroscopy, and so on. Finally, MPM was diagnosed by laparoscopic exploration and biopsy. Moreover, during the course of the disease, the patient's bilateral ureters were compressed, and the obstruction could not be relieved after the placement of ordinary ureteral stents. Percutaneous nephrostomy or metal ureteral stenosis was appropriate in managing malignant ureteral obstruction as it could improve renal function.

  Conclusions: The onset of this case was insidious, and the diagnosis was difficult, with a poor prognosis. To date, only a handful of cases have been reported. We hope this case can provide some enlightenment for our clinical work.

  © 2024 Luo, Pan, Zhong, Wang and Zhang.

• Case Report and Review of Literature: Familial Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma in a 39 Years Old Patient With an Inconclusive 18F-FDG PET/CT Result. M. Idkedek, K.S. Tahayneh, F. Abu-Akar, et al. 2022;9:819596. Case report PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

  Abstract

  Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare yet aggressive neoplasm that was linked only to asbestos exposure for decades, although familial clusters were diagnosed with MPM without a known history of asbestos exposure most likely due to genetic susceptibility. Here, we describe a case of familial malignant mesothelioma in a 39 years old patient with a confirmed BAP1 mutation in addition to a known family history with the same mutation. The patient presented with progressive shortness of breath and recurrent pleural effusions and diagnosis was made through biopsies taken during uniportal Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery. After the inconclusive result of 18F-FDG PET/CT scan, subxiphoid uniportal Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery left pleural and laparoscopic peritoneal biopsies were obtained for staging and evaluating contralateral lung and peritoneal cavity. Finally, two important educational values should be acquired from this case: genetic predisposition and BAP1 tumor suppressor gene mutation might affect the age of presentation and overall prognosis of the disease. Also, 18F-FDG PET/CT scan may not be the best modality for staging and confirming the diagnosis of malignant pleural mesothelioma.

  Copyright © 2022 Idkedek, Tahayneh, Abu-Akar and Bakri.

• Diagnostic ability and its influenced factors of ultrasound-guided percutaneous pleural needle biopsy diagnosis for malignant pleural mesothelioma. Y. Zhang, J. Tang, X. Zhou, et al. 2022;9:1022505. PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

  Abstract

  Background: Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a highly invasive malignant tumor. Ultrasound guidance has the advantages of real-time, convenience and nonradiative. We sought to identify diagnostic value and its influenced factors of ultrasound-guided percutaneous pleural needle biopsy (US-PPNB) for MPM.

  Methods: Patients who underwent US-PPNB between March 2014 and March 2020 and were finally diagnosed with MPM were retrospectively analyzed. We retrospectively analyzed the US-PPNBs pathological results of all patients clinically confirmed as MPM, and divided US-PPNBs into correctly and incorrectly diagnosed groups. Patient, thoracic, and biopsy variables that affected diagnostic accuracy were assessed. All variables significant on univariate analyses were subjected to multivariate logistic regression to identify significant predictors of diagnostic accuracy. We derived cutoffs for all significant continuous variables and used the Mantel-Haenszel test to determine whether the diagnostic accuracy of US-PPNB for MPM increased with pleural thickness.

  Results: In total, 49 patients with clinically confirmed MPM underwent US-PPNB; 37 diagnoses were correct and 12 were incorrect (accuracy = 75.5%). The pleura was significantly thicker in the correctly diagnosed group (p < 0.001). The pleural thickness cutoff was 4.15 mm and diagnostic accuracy increased with pleural thickness grade (p for trend <0.05). The diagnostic accuracy was significantly higher when 16-G rather than 18-G biopsy needles were used (p < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression showed that pleural thickness (odds ratio: 17.2, 95% confidence interval: 2.8-104.1, p = 0.002) and needle size (odds ratio: 6.8, 95% confidence interval: 1.0-44.5, p = 0.044) independently predicted diagnostic accuracy.

  Conclusion: US-PPNB afforded high MPM diagnostic accuracy, and pleural thickness and needle size significantly impacted accuracy.

  © 2022 Zhang, Tang, Zhou, Chen, Zhang, Li, Zhou, He and Tang.

• Diffuse malignant peritoneal mesothelioma: A review. L. Sun, C. Li, S. Gao. 2022;9:1015884. Review PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

  Abstract

  Diffuse malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (DMPM) is an unusual and life-threatening locally invasive tumor. The morbidity and mortality of the disease are associated with progressive local effects in the abdominal cavity, such as abdominal distention, painful sensations, and early saturation with reduced oral intake, which eventually lead to intestinal obstruction and cachexia. Computed tomography (CT) has been widely used as a first-line diagnostic tool for DMPM. In addition, the most sensitive immunohistochemical markers of DMPM include WT 1, D2-40, and calmodulin. This paradigm has altered with the advancements in the immunohistochemical analysis of BRCA1-Associated Protein 1 (BAP1) the lack of BAP1 expression shows the diagnosis of malignancy. DMPM is resistant to conventional chemotherapies. Therefore, the gold standard for the treatment of DMPM is the combination of cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). The overexpression of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT serine/threonine kinase 1 (AKT)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway drives the malignant phenotype of DMPM, thereby showing promising potential for the treatment of DMPM. The coordinated activities among multiple RTKs are directly involved in the biological processes of DMPM, suggesting that the combined inhibition of the PI3K and mTOR signaling pathways might be an effective measure. This treatment strategy can be easily implemented in clinical practice. However, the combined inhibition of ERBB1(HER1)/ERBB2 (HER2) and ERBB3 (HER3) requires further investigations. Thus, based on these, the discovery of novel targeted therapies might be crucial to improving the prognosis of DMPM patients.

  © 2023 Sun, Li and Gao.

• Long-term outcomes after chest wall resection and repair with titanium bars and sternal plates. H. Clermidy, G. Fadel, A. De Lemos, et al. 2022;9:950177. PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

  Abstract

  Objectives: En-bloc complete resection remains the treatment of choice for localized chest wall (CW) tumors. Titanium bars reconstruction demonstrated encouraging results with satisfactory early outcomes. However, long-term outcomes remain under-reported. The purpose of this study is to evaluate long-term outcomes after CW resection and repair with titanium devices.

  Methods: From June 2012 to December 2018, we retrospectively reviewed all patients with CW tumors who underwent surgical resection and repair using titanium. Long-term outcomes were assessed.

  Results: We identified 87 patients who underwent CW tumor resections and titanium reconstruction. Sixty-eight patients were included in the study (excluding benign tumors, Pancoast tumors, palliative surgeries, or clavicle reconstruction). There were 29 sarcomas, 20 isolated CW metastases, eight lung cancers, four breast cancers, three thymic malignancies, two sarcomatoid mesothelioma, and one desmoid tumor. Complete resection was achieved in 64 patients (94%), while R1 resection in four patients (6%). Resection involved one rib in two patients, two ribs in thirteen, three ribs in eighteen, four ribs in nine, five ribs in two, seven ribs in one, partial sternum in fifteen, and full sternum in sixteen patients. No patient experienced flail chest. The 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year overall survival rates and disease-free survivals were 82.3%, 61.4%,57.3%, and 67.6%,57.3%,52.6%, respectively. Surgical site infection occurred in 18% (n = 12) of cases. Eleven of twelve patients had an early infection (<1 year), which required material removal in six patients. Asymptomatic connector unsealing occurred in 6% (n = 4), with only one re-intervention. Titanium allergy has never been reported. Chronic chest pain (lasting more than 3 months after surgery, with daily use of pain killer) was reported in 24% of patients.

  Conclusion: CW resections with titanium reconstruction are associated with long-term survivors. Titanium devices were safe, reliable, and achieved satisfactory oncological results with low morbidity and implant-related complication rates.

  © 2022 Clermidy, Fadel, Delemos, Pradere, Mitilian, Girault, Menager, Fabre, Mussot, Leymarie, Fadel and Mercier.

• Quality of Life Is Not Deteriorated After Extrapleural Pneumonectomy vs. (Extended) Pleurectomy/Decortication in Patients With Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma. O. Lauk, M. Patella, T. Neuer, et al. 2021;8:766033. PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

  Abstract

  Background: Extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) for malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is highly abandoned due to high morbidity and mortality rates and impaired quality of life (QoL). However, there are still rare indications for this intervention. The aim of this longitudinal prospective study was to monitor QoL and lung function in patients undergoing EPP and compare the outcomes with extended pleurectomy/decortication [(E)PD]. Methods: Between June 2013 and June 2017, 42 patients underwent induction chemotherapy followed by either EPP (n = 7) or (E)PD (n = 35). All patients filled out the EORTC QLC-C15-PAL, -LC13, and SF-36 self-rating questionnaires pre-operatively, 6 weeks and 4 months after the operation. Additionally, lung function was measured pre-operatively and 4 months post-operatively. Results: We observed no significant differences in all QoL categories (general global health, pain, and dyspnea) between both surgical procedures, over the whole observation period. Moreover, a general tendency toward restoration of the pre-operative QoL status was documented at 4 months after the both operations. Forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) showed a significant decrease after surgery in both the groups [EPP group p = 0.06 and (E)PD group p < 0.001]; also, the forced volume vital capacity (FVC) significantly decreased (EPP group p = 0.046 P/D group <0.001). Diffusion capacity did not show significant changes. Conclusion: According to these results, QoL is no longer severely impaired after EPP compared with EPD, and therefore should not be used as an argument against EPP in principle. However, indication has to be carefully evaluated for each patient.

  Copyright © 2021 Lauk, Patella, Neuer, Inci, Weder and Opitz.

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