Patients with locally advanced ICC treated by surgery following neoadjuvant chemotherapy had similar short- and long-term results to patients with initially resectable ICC who had surgery alone. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy as a first-line treatment for locally advanced ICC may be an effective downstaging option, facilitating secondary resectability in patients with initially unresectable disease.

Background BRAF mutation is associated with a poor prognosis in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. For patients with resectable colorectal liver metastases (CRLMs), the prognostic impact of BRAF mutation is unknown and the benefit of surgery debated. This nationwide intergroup (ACHBT, FRENCH, AGEO) study aimed to evaluate the oncological outcome of patients undergoing liver resection for BRAF‐mutated CRLMs. Methods The study included patients who underwent resection for BRAF‐mutated CRLMs in 24 centres between 2012 and 2016. A case‐matched comparison was made with 183 patients who underwent resection of CRLMs with wild‐type BRAF during the same interval. Results Sixty‐six patients who underwent resection for BRAF‐mutated CRLMs in 24 centres were compared with 183 patients with wild‐type BRAF. The 1‐ and 3‐year disease‐free survival (DFS) rates were 46 and 19 per cent for the BRAF‐mutated group, and 55·4 and 27·8 per cent for the group with wild‐type BRAF (P = 0·430). In multivariable analysis, BRAF mutation was not associated with worse DFS (hazard ratio 1·16, 95 per cent c.i. 0·72 to 1·85; P = 0·547). The 1‐ and 3‐year overall survival rates after surgery were 94 and 54 per cent respectively among patients with BRAF mutation, and 95·8 and 82·9 per cent in those with wild‐type BRAF (P = 0·004). Median survival after disease progression was 23·0 (95 per cent c.i. 11·0 to 35·0) months among patients with mutated BRAF and 44·3 (35·9 to 52·6) months in those with wild‐type BRAF (P = 0·050). Multisite disease progression was more common in the BRAF‐mutated group (48 versus 29·8 per cent; P = 0·034). Conclusion These results support surgical treatment for resectable BRAF‐mutated CRLM, as BRAF mutation by itself does not increase the risk of relapse after resection. BRAF mutation is associated with worse survival in patients whose disease relapses after resection of CRLM, as for non‐metastatic colorectal cancer.

Despite advances in surgical techniques, anesthesia and perioperative care, which became safer and accessible to a higher proportion of high-risk patients, major surgery remains morbid with a lot of patients not recovering their previous capacity. Indeed surgery is a physiological stress and decreases functional capacity in the postoperative period. A "prehabilitation" program should increase functional capacity in anticipation of an upcoming stress. It should occur after the surgical consultation and before surgery, and is based on three components: physical care, nutritional support and psychological support, during 6 to 8 weeks. The aims of prehabilitation are to improve both nutritional status and pre- and postoperative fitness, and to reduce postoperative complications. Prehabilitation demonstrated benefit on postoperative complications in cardiovascular surgery but its benefit in digestive surgery is still unclear with contradictory results. The aim of this review was to summarize results of prehabilitation on the pre- and postoperative period and to determine its possible future in digestive surgery.

Portal biliopathy (PB) refers to the biliary abnormalities of the biliary ducts observed in patients with extrahepatic portal hypertension. Although majority of patients are asymptomatic, approximately 20% of these patients present with biliary symptoms (pain, pruritus, jaundice, cholangitis). The pathogenesis of PB is uncertain but compression by dilated veins into or around common bile duct may play the main role. CT-scan, MR cholangiopancreatography with MR portography should be the initial investigations in the evaluation of PB. Treatment is limited to symptomatic cases and is dictated by clinical manifestations and complications of the disease. Treatment of PB could be done by endoscopy (sphincterotomy, stone extraction or biliary stenting of the common bile duct) or surgery (definitive decompression by porto-systemic shunt followed by bilioenteric anastomosis, if necessary). This review describes pathogenesis, clinical features, investigation and management of portal biliopathy.

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