This clinical trial evaluates the feasibility and acceptability of acupressure to the ear (auricular) to address appetite and weight in patients with stage II-IV gastric, esophageal, or pancreatic cancer. Cancer anorexia, the abnormal loss of appetite, directly leads to cancer-associated weight loss (cachexia) through malnourishment, reduced caloric intake, treatment side-effects, and other modifiable risk factors. Cachexia prolongs length of hospital stay for patients, negatively impacts treatment tolerance and adherence, and reduces overall patient quality of life. Auricular acupressure is a form of micro-acupuncture that exerts its effect by stimulating the central nervous system using adhesive taped pellets applied to specific locations on the external ear. The use of these pellets to deliver auricular acupressure has been shown to improve pain, fatigue, insomnia, nausea and vomiting, depression, and quality of life in both cancer and non-cancer settings. Auricular acupressure is a safe, inexpensive, and non-invasive approach to addressing cancer-related symptoms and treatment side-effects and may be effective at improving appetite and weight loss in stage II-IV gastric, esophageal, and pancreatic cancer patients.
The feasibility and safety of minimally invasive surgery in cases after neoadjuvant therapy were unclear. It is worth exploring the safety of robotic resection for pancreatic cancer following neoadjuvant therapy. The investigators investigated the comparative outcomes of robotic and open surgery in the management of pancreatic cancer after NAT, exploring the feasibility and safety of robotic procedures in complex cases of pancreatic cancer, and providing evidence-based guidance for clinical practice.
This randomized pilot clinical trial studies health care coach support in reducing acute care use and cost in patients with cancer. Health care coach support may help cancer patients to make decisions about their care that matches what is important to them with symptom management.
RATIONALE: Monoclonal antibodies, such as cetuximab, can locate tumor cells and either kill them or deliver tumor-killing substances to them without harming normal cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cell from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining chemotherapy with monoclonal antibody therapy may kill more tumor cells.
PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of cetuximab plus gemcitabine in treating patients who have locally advanced, metastatic, or recurrent cancer of the pancreas.
ancreaticoduodenectomy (also known as PD or the Whipple procedure) is a major surgery often done for conditions like pancreatic cancer. Over the past few decades, doctors around the world have greatly improved surgical techniques, reducing the risk of death after PD from about 24% in the 1980s to less than 2% today in good volume hospitals.
However, even though fewer patients are dying from the surgery, many still face complications after surgery, such as infections, delayed healing, or other problems called as morbidities. These problems can affect 17% to 50% of patients.
One important factor that may affect recovery is fluid management – the amount of fluids patients receive around the time of surgery.
Traditionally, surgeons gave large amounts of fluid during and after surgery, thinking it helped keep blood pressure and urine output stable. This approach is called liberal fluid therapy. But giving too much fluid can cause swelling, weight gain, and slower recovery.
A newer method, called restrictive fluid therapy, gives smaller, more controlled amounts of fluid to avoid these problems. This approach is new and has shown good results in some studies however the exact role is yet unclear.
At our hospital, we usually use liberal fluid therapy and give fluids based on the treating physician, using these fluids or restricting them as per the treating physician's choice.
So, the study compares these two fluid strategies in patients having PD. Our goal is to find out whether using less fluid (restrictive therapy) could help reduce complications and improve patient outcomes when compared to using more liberal fluids.
This study will determine if laparoscopy can be used successfully to find and remove insulinomas (insulin-secreting tumors of the pancreas). These tumors are very small and often difficult to locate with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT) or ultrasound. Invasive procedures, such as arteriograms (X-ray imaging using a contrast agent injected into the bloodstream through a catheter) and venous sampling are more successful but involve more patient discomfort and greater risk. This study will test whether laparoscopy can be used to replace some or all of these tests, as well as more extensive surgery.
Patients 11 years of age and older with low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) probably caused by an insulinoma may be eligible for this study. Candidates will have their hypoglycemia confirmed (with tests done under NIH protocol 91-DK-0066: Diagnosis and Treatment of Hypoglycemia) and will have CT imaging of the abdomen and MRI and ultrasound tests of the liver and pancreas. Patients whose tumors are not found by these studies will undergo arteriography of the pancreas and hepatic (liver) venous sampling.
Patients will then have laparoscopy. This surgical procedure uses a laparoscope-a tube-like device with special cameras and an ultrasound probe attached through which the surgeon can see and operate inside the abdomen. Laparoscopy is commonly done to remove the gallbladder and is also used to remove portions of the pancreas. For the current procedure, the surgeon makes small incisions in the abdomen, inserts tubes, fills the abdomen with gas, and proceeds to explore and operate on the pancreas. The surgeon will try to locate the tumor with the laparoscope. If the tumor is found, the location will be verified by the imaging study results. If it cannot be located by laparoscopy, the results of the imaging studies will be disclosed to enable removal. If the tumor cannot be successfully removed using the laparoscope, standard surgery will then be performed. If the tumor cannot be found though laparoscopy, imaging studies, or traditional surgery, the operation will be concluded without removing any of the pancreas. Medical treatment will be initiated and re-evaluation will be recommended after 6 months.
Erlotinib is an orally available, reversible tyrosine kinase inhibitor of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Association of chemoresistance with the activity of certain tyrosine kinases (e.g. ErbB-1 and Src) has been described for pancreatic cancer and makes a strong case for combining gemcitabine with tyrosine kinase inhibitors. In a phase III trial, the addition of erlotinib to gemcitabine improved survival compared with gemcitabine alone in advanced pancreatic cancer (MJ Moor et al). Also, gemcitabine in combination with oxaliplatin is superior to gemcitabine alone in terms of progression free survival and response rate in one phase III trial (Louvet et al). Taken together, combining erlotinib with gemcitabine and oxaliplatin may further improve the overall survival and clinical benefit of advanced pancreatic cancer.
The investigators propose a randomized, controlled trial of stapled pancreatic transection versus mesh reinforced stapled pancreatic transection. For the duration of the study period, participating surgeons will utilize a standardized staple technique. Either a reabsorbable polytrimethylene carbonate mesh (SEAMGUARD®) or reabsorbable strips of bovine pericardium (PERI-STRIPS DRY®) will be used to reinforce the stapled pancreatic transection line in the test group. In order to have a uniform test method, the investigators will utilize a laparoscopic stapling device for both open and laparoscopic procedures and a uniform staple size (4.8mm).
Our hypothesis is that a single dose of antibiotics at time of EUS-guided pancreatic cyst aspiration is equally effective to the usual regimen of 3 days of post-procedural antibiotics.
Following pancreaticoduodenectomy, omental flaps around the pancreatic anastomosis can lower the risk of pancreatic fistula, post-pancreatectomy bleeding, and delayed gastric emptying. The overall morbidity following pancreaticoduodenectomy can be decreased with this straightforward and efficient treatment.
