ReviewBJS open2025
The evolving concept of conversion surgery for upfront unresectable upper gastrointestinal and hepato-pancreato-biliary cancers: comprehensive review.
Review in BJS open, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Translational and Implementation Barrier in the Management of Biliary Tract Cancer: Diagnostic, Molecular, Therapeutic, and Patient-Centered Challenges.Journal of gastroenterology and hepatology · 2026Review
- BJS Open 2025 best HPB surgery articles: editors' choices.BJS open · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
15 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIn the absence of a commonly accepted definition, conversion surgery is generally considered as surgical resection with the intent of prolonging survival after non-surgical induction therapy in patients with upfront unresectable disease at diagnosis. Despite the heterogeneity of possible targets, conversion surgery is a quickly evolving concept, with commonalities for upper gastrointestinal (UGI) and hepato-pancreato-biliary (HPB) malignancies.
methodsA comprehensive narrative review of the most recent and relevant literature was conducted by experts in the field of different UGI and HPB tumours.
resultsThe increased interest of the surgical scientific community in the concept of conversion surgery can be explained by the continuous improvements in non-surgical therapies aimed at controlling the systemic tumour burden and the local extension of cancer, supported by improvements in surgical outcomes for advanced resections in expert centres. The toolbox of the surgical oncologist seeking conversion in the case of unresectable UGI and HBP tumours is large and includes (but is not limited to) systemic chemotherapy, (chemo)radiation, targeted therapy/immunotherapy, locoregional ablation techniques, intra-arterial therapies, liver hypertrophy induction techniques, treatments of underlying medical conditions, and prehabilitation.
conclusionsConversion surgery represents a powerful instrument to prolong the survival of patients with unresectable UGI and HPB malignancies. However, most of the available evidence is of a low level and at very high risk of selection bias. Alongside a profound understanding of (and respect for) the biology of cancer, which remains key to selecting appropriate patients and avoiding non-therapeutic surgeries, a commonly accepted definition is urgently needed to standardize practice, monitor outcomes, and improve the quality of research.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.