OBJECTIVETo evaluate the feasibility and the short-term safety of self-pulling and latter transected esophagojejunostomy(SPLT) in totally laparoscopic total gastrectomy (TLTG).

METHODSOne hundred patients with gastric cancer received TLTG-SPLT at General Surgery Department of Huashan Hospital (Fudan University) from June 2014 to January 2017(SPLT group). The clinicopathologic characteristics, surgical and postoperative outcomes were collected retrospectively and compared with the conventional group undergoing TLTG plus overlap or functional end-to-end anastomosis from October 2013 to December 2015. D2 lymph node dissection was regularly performed for all the patients. In SPLT group, a sterile hemp rope was held to ligate and drag down the esophagus to maintain "self-pulling" after the duodenum was transected by the first stapler, allowing the detachment of the posterior mediastinum. Then a hole 2-3 cm above the ligature rope was made on the right-posterior wall of the esophagus. When the mesenteric tension was checked, another hole was made at the anti-mesenteric border of the jejunum 20 cm distal to the ligament of Treitz. A side-to-side esophagojejunostomy (E-J) was then performed between the right-posterior wall of esophagus and the anti-mesenteric wall of the jejunum with the second linear stapler, forming an entry hole. The "latter transection" was applied with the third stapler inserted from the assistant's Trocar, which facilitated the esophagus and the afferent loop jejunum to be simultaneously transected above the level of the entry hole. After that, a side-to-side jejunojejunostomy(J-J) with another 2 staplers was carried out between the afferent loop stump and the Roux limb 40 cm below E-J, in which the E-J entry hole could also work as the entrance for the stapler. The TLTG-SPLT was therefore completed and the specimen was removed through the incision from the umbilical Trocar site.

RESULTSThere were 66 male and 34 female patients in the SPLT group with median age of 64 years. The clinicopathologic baseline data of two groups were comparable(all P>0.05). All the patients underwent operations successfully, and none was converted to open surgery. No positive margin was found in either group. Mean operation duration was (178.2±35.9) minute in SPLT group, including (22.9±7.1) minute of reconstruction, which both were significantly shorter than those in conventional group [(204.4±55.8) minute, P=0.003; (30.5±7.2) minute, P=0.000]. Less blood loss [(74.3±72.5) ml vs. (104.2±71.6) ml, P=0.017] and earlier time to the first flatus [(1.9±1.6) days vs. (2.7±1.3) days, P=0.001] were observed in SPLT group. There were no significant differences in postoperative hospital stay and pathological findings between the two groups(all P>0.05). Postoperative operation-associated complications were found in 7 cases of SPLT group. Of these 7 patients, 1 case developed gastrointestinal bleeding, 3 pancreatic leakage, 2 chyle leakage, who all were discovered within postoperative 1 week and were cured by conservative treatment, while the other 1 case developed anastomotic fistula complicated with peritoneal infection who received laparoscopic exploration and peritoneal scavenge and drainage, then discharged 34 days later. Six patients in conventional group developed postoperative operation-associated complications, including 1 case of anastomotic bleeding, 3 cases of pancreatic leakage, 1 case of chyle leakage and 1 case of peritoneal infection. Morbidity of postoperative operation-associated complication was not significantly different between two groups [7.0%(7/100) vs. 11.5%(6/52), χ=0.414, P=0.520]. Fifty patients from two groups underwent endoscopic examination at postoperative 6-month and 12-month, and no obvious anastomotic stenosis and esophageal reflux were observed.

CONCLUSIONSPLT is a safe procedure with feasibibility in intracorporeal esophagojejunostomy.

Objective:To investigate the incidence of postoperative complications in Chinese patients with gastric or colorectal cancer, and to evaluate the risk factors for postoperative complications.Methods:This was a national, multicenter, prospective, registry-based, cohort study of data obtained from the database of the Prevalence of Abdominal Complications After Gastro- enterological Surgery (PACAGE) study sponsored by the China Gastrointestinal Cancer Surgical Union. The PACAGE database prospectively collected general demographic characteristics, protocols for perioperative treatment, and variables associated with postoperative complications in patients treated for gastric or colorectal cancer in 20 medical centers from December 2018 to December 2020. The patients were grouped according to the presence or absence of postoperative complications. Postoperative complications were categorized and graded in accordance with the expert consensus on postoperative complications in gastrointestinal oncology surgery and Clavien-Dindo grading criteria. The incidence of postoperative complications of different grades are presented as bar charts. Independent risk factors for occurrence of postoperative complications were identified by multifactorial unconditional logistic regression.Results:The study cohort comprised 3926 patients with gastric or colorectal cancer, 657 (16.7%) of whom had a total of 876 postoperative complications. Serious complications (Grade III and above) occurred in 4.0% of patients (156/3926). The rate of Grade V complications was 0.2% (7/3926). The cohort included 2271 patients with gastric cancer with a postoperative complication rate of 18.1% (412/2271) and serious complication rate of 4.7% (106/2271); and 1655 with colorectal cancer, with a postoperative complication rate of 14.8% (245/1655) and serious complication rate of 3.0% (50/1655). The incidences of anastomotic leakage in patients with gastric and colorectal cancer were 3.3% (74/2271) and 3.4% (56/1655), respectively. Abdominal infection was the most frequently occurring complication, accounting for 28.7% (164/572) and 39.5% (120/304) of postoperative complications in patients with gastric and colorectal cancer, respectively. The most frequently occurring grade of postoperative complication was Grade II, accounting for 65.4% (374/572) and 56.6% (172/304) of complications in patients with gastric and colorectal cancers, respectively. Multifactorial analysis identified (1) the following independent risk factors for postoperative complications in patients in the gastric cancer group: preoperative comorbidities (OR=2.54, 95%CI: 1.51-4.28, P<0.001), neoadjuvant therapy (OR=1.42, 95%CI:1.06-1.89, P=0.020), high American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) scores (ASA score 2 points:OR=1.60, 95% CI: 1.23-2.07, P<0.001, ASA score ≥3 points:OR=0.43, 95% CI: 0.25-0.73, P=0.002), operative time >180 minutes (OR=1.81, 95% CI: 1.42-2.31, P<0.001), intraoperative bleeding >50 mL (OR=1.29,95%CI: 1.01-1.63, P=0.038), and distal gastrectomy compared with total gastrectomy (OR=0.65,95%CI: 0.51-0.83, P<0.001); and (2) the following independent risk factors for postoperative complications in patients in the colorectal cancer group: female (OR=0.60, 95%CI: 0.44-0.80, P<0.001), preoperative comorbidities (OR=2.73, 95%CI: 1.25-5.99, P=0.030), neoadjuvant therapy (OR=1.83, 95%CI:1.23-2.72, P=0.008), laparoscopic surgery (OR=0.47, 95%CI: 0.30-0.72, P=0.022), and abdominoperineal resection compared with low anterior resection (OR=2.74, 95%CI: 1.71-4.41, P<0.001). Conclusion:Postoperative complications associated with various types of infection were the most frequent complications in patients with gastric or colorectal cancer. Although the risk factors for postoperative complications differed between patients with gastric cancer and those with colorectal cancer, the presence of preoperative comorbidities, administration of neoadjuvant therapy, and extent of surgical resection, were the commonest factors associated with postoperative complications in patients of both categories.

Objective:To investigate the incidence of postoperative complications in Chinese patients with gastric or colorectal cancer, and to evaluate the risk factors for postoperative complications.Methods:This was a national, multicenter, prospective, registry-based, cohort study of data obtained from the database of the Prevalence of Abdominal Complications After Gastro- enterological Surgery (PACAGE) study sponsored by the China Gastrointestinal Cancer Surgical Union. The PACAGE database prospectively collected general demographic characteristics, protocols for perioperative treatment, and variables associated with postoperative complications in patients treated for gastric or colorectal cancer in 20 medical centers from December 2018 to December 2020. The patients were grouped according to the presence or absence of postoperative complications. Postoperative complications were categorized and graded in accordance with the expert consensus on postoperative complications in gastrointestinal oncology surgery and Clavien-Dindo grading criteria. The incidence of postoperative complications of different grades are presented as bar charts. Independent risk factors for occurrence of postoperative complications were identified by multifactorial unconditional logistic regression.Results:The study cohort comprised 3926 patients with gastric or colorectal cancer, 657 (16.7%) of whom had a total of 876 postoperative complications. Serious complications (Grade III and above) occurred in 4.0% of patients (156/3926). The rate of Grade V complications was 0.2% (7/3926). The cohort included 2271 patients with gastric cancer with a postoperative complication rate of 18.1% (412/2271) and serious complication rate of 4.7% (106/2271); and 1655 with colorectal cancer, with a postoperative complication rate of 14.8% (245/1655) and serious complication rate of 3.0% (50/1655). The incidences of anastomotic leakage in patients with gastric and colorectal cancer were 3.3% (74/2271) and 3.4% (56/1655), respectively. Abdominal infection was the most frequently occurring complication, accounting for 28.7% (164/572) and 39.5% (120/304) of postoperative complications in patients with gastric and colorectal cancer, respectively. The most frequently occurring grade of postoperative complication was Grade II, accounting for 65.4% (374/572) and 56.6% (172/304) of complications in patients with gastric and colorectal cancers, respectively. Multifactorial analysis identified (1) the following independent risk factors for postoperative complications in patients in the gastric cancer group: preoperative comorbidities (OR=2.54, 95%CI: 1.51-4.28, P<0.001), neoadjuvant therapy (OR=1.42, 95%CI:1.06-1.89, P=0.020), high American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) scores (ASA score 2 points:OR=1.60, 95% CI: 1.23-2.07, P<0.001, ASA score ≥3 points:OR=0.43, 95% CI: 0.25-0.73, P=0.002), operative time >180 minutes (OR=1.81, 95% CI: 1.42-2.31, P<0.001), intraoperative bleeding >50 mL (OR=1.29,95%CI: 1.01-1.63, P=0.038), and distal gastrectomy compared with total gastrectomy (OR=0.65,95%CI: 0.51-0.83, P<0.001); and (2) the following independent risk factors for postoperative complications in patients in the colorectal cancer group: female (OR=0.60, 95%CI: 0.44-0.80, P<0.001), preoperative comorbidities (OR=2.73, 95%CI: 1.25-5.99, P=0.030), neoadjuvant therapy (OR=1.83, 95%CI:1.23-2.72, P=0.008), laparoscopic surgery (OR=0.47, 95%CI: 0.30-0.72, P=0.022), and abdominoperineal resection compared with low anterior resection (OR=2.74, 95%CI: 1.71-4.41, P<0.001). Conclusion:Postoperative complications associated with various types of infection were the most frequent complications in patients with gastric or colorectal cancer. Although the risk factors for postoperative complications differed between patients with gastric cancer and those with colorectal cancer, the presence of preoperative comorbidities, administration of neoadjuvant therapy, and extent of surgical resection, were the commonest factors associated with postoperative complications in patients of both categories.