In 2020, AGEM supported two researchers to facilitate (inter)national multicenter clinical research meetings leading to a new consensus.

Lynn Nooijen

The AGEM support for clinical consensus meeting allowed us to…

… set up an international consensus meeting with surgeons from over 20 different centers to determine a pre-operative classification system for patients with perihilar cholangiocarcinoma. In the Netherlands, we followed a Delphi like method in order to find clinical consensus. During several online discussions, we came up with a simple classification of resectable, borderline and unresectable patients, in strong analogy with the developments in pancreatic surgery. These criteria are necessary for patient selection and inclusion in new European prospective studies or trials regarding pre-operative treatment. In order to move forward, we would like to do an international Delphi on radiological, clinical and surgical resectability criteria. This Delphi will consist of several online meetings and questionnaires and will finish during an off-line meeting with all participating surgeons.

The AGEM support for clinical consensus meeting allowed us to…

… organize the Brescia 2021 AGEM International Consensus Meeting: Histopathological Distinction between Ampullary Cancer Types. A meeting of International Study Group of Pancreatic Pathologists (ISGPP). The ISGPP was established by our research group in November 2020.

Ampullary cancer is a rare disease with three histological subtypes (intestinal, pancreatobiliary, mixed). These subtypes could be considered different diseases, with different prognoses ,and different preferred treatment modalities. Therefore, histopathological distinction between subtypes is key for accurate prognostication, and for treatment selection. Currently, however, the histopathological distinction between subtypes is difficult, and there are no international guidelines or consensus on how to classify the subtypes of ampullary cancer.subtyping and substantial inter observer variability among pathologists.

In an attempt to identify, discuss, and overcome the challenges encountered by the pathologist in distinguishing between subtypes, we aim to publish an overview of the considerations, outcomes, and consensus statements that will originate from this meeting.