Esophage

BACKGROUND: Caustic ingestions are relatively uncommon, but remain a significant source of morbidity. Patients with caustic injury often undergo an urgent EGD, although it is not clear if an EGD is routinely needed in an asymptomatic patient. The study has two primary objectives; 1) to determine the utility of routine EGD in asymptomatic suicidal caustic ingestions; 2) to determine if asymptomatic unintentional acidic ingestions can be managed with observation alone, similar to basic ingestions...

PURPOSE: An optimal radiotherapy field for superficial esophageal carcinoma is yet to be established. We evaluated the long-term outcomes and recurrence patterns of involved-field radiotherapy (IFRT) in older patients with superficial thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-four patients (49 men and 5 women; mean age, 77 [range: 66-90] years) who underwent IFRT for superficial thoracic ESCC between January 2003 and January 2019 were retrospectively reviewed...

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to characterize the circulating immunome of patients with EoE before and after proton pump inhibitor (PPI) treatment in order to identify potential non-invasive biomarkers of treatment response. METHODS: PBMCs from 19 healthy controls and 24 EoE patients were studied using a 39-plex spectral cytometry panel. The plasmacytoid dendritic cell (pDC) population was differentially characterized by spectral cytometry analysis and immunofluorescence assays in esophageal biopsies from 7 healthy controls and 13 EoE patients...

Esophageal cancer (EC) is a common form of malignant tumor in the digestive system that is classified into two types: Esophageal squamous cell carcinomas (ESCC) and esophageal adenocarcinoma. ESCC is known for its early onset of symptoms, which can be difficult to identify, as well as its rapid progression and tendency to develop drug resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. These factors contribute to the high incidence of disease and low cure rate. Therefore, a diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target need to be identified for ESCC...

Dysphagia is commonly seen in the elderly and has both benign and malignant causes. A difficulty in swallowing due to the esophageal compression by the aorta, or dysphagia aortica, is a rare entity, little described in literature. However, diagnostic error or diagnostic and treatment delays of aortic dysphagia can be fatal. Herein, we report a case of dysphagia aortica caused by the contained rupture of a descending aneurysmatic thoracic aorta, presenting at the emergency department with acute dysphagia and diffuse chest pain, successfully treated by thoracic endovascular aneurysm repair...

A 14-year-old girl with a history of asthma was hospitalized because of sudden-onset back pain around her thoracic region that spread to her chest and abdomen. She had been experiencing dysphagia and breathing difficulties for two years, especially after overeating, which often resulted in vomiting undigested food. CT imaging revealed a severely dilated esophagus narrowing at the gastroesophageal junction, suggestive of type 1 achalasia. Further testing confirmed the diagnosis, with an esophageal manometry showing a lack of esophageal contractions and sphincter relaxation...

UNLABELLED: We present three cases of hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) complicated by congenital esophageal atresia and trachea-esophageal fistula (EA/TEF). The standard treatment for HLHS involves a staged surgical approach, eventually reaching Fontan completion. There is no report of patients with both HLHS and EA/TEF, and no established treatment strategy exists for such cases. Given the significant risk of simultaneously operating on HLHS and EA/TEF, we elected to pursue staged repair for each condition separately...

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a prevalent condition with multifactorial pathogenesis, involves esophageal motor dysmotility as a key contributing factor to its development. When suspected GERD patients have an inadequate response to proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy and normal upper endoscopy results, high-resolution manometry (HRM) is utilized to rule out alternative diagnosis such as achalasia spectrum disorders, rumination, or supragastric belching. At present, HRM continues to provide supportive evidence for diagnosing GERD and determining the appropriate treatment...

BACKGROUND: High body mass index (BMI) is a major risk factor of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a prevalent morbidity of older adulthood linked to lower quality of life and an increased risk of esophageal cancers. Daily stepping behavior, the most common physical activity of older adulthood, is associated with an array of favorable health outcomes, sometimes independent of high BMI. Whether stepping behavior is associated with the incidence of GERD independently or in combination with BMI is currently unclear...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Esophageal symptoms, that is, heartburn, regurgitation, dysphagia, and chest pain are common in the general population. Also common are symptoms of back pain related to pathology in the lumbosacral spine. The right crus of the diaphragm that forms the esophageal hiatus, originates from lumbar spine, may be affected by lumbar spine pathology resulting in esophageal symptoms. We studied whether there was an association between esophageal symptoms and spine symptoms...

BACKGROUND: Proactive esophageal cooling is FDA cleared to reduce the likelihood of esophageal injury during radiofrequency ablation for treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF). Long-term follow-up data have also shown improved freedom from arrhythmia with proactive esophageal cooling compared to luminal esophageal temperature (LET) monitoring during pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). One hypothesized mechanism is improved lesion contiguity (as measured by the Continuity Index) with the use of cooling...

Laparoscopic total gastrectomy results in more internal hernias than open surgery. However, there are few reports of incarcerated hiatal hernia after laparoscopic total gastrectomy. Here, we report a case of a 79-year-old male who underwent urgent surgical intervention for a strangulated intestinal obstruction due to an incarcerated hernia through the esophageal hiatus following laparoscopic total gastrectomy. In this case, an esophageal hiatal hernia was present before gastrectomy, but was not repaired. Additionally, the patient experienced significant weight loss after gastrectomy...

Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy has emerged as the standard treatment for locally advanced rectal cancer, esophageal cancer and gastroesophageal junction cancer which can not only improve the rate of local control but also induce pathological complete response in some patients. For patients who have achieved clinical complete response after neoadjuvant therapy, the watch & wait strategy and organ preservation could reduce unnecessary surgery and minimize the risk of postoperative complications, meanwhile greatly improve patients' quality of life without affecting the oncologic outcome...

The traditional treatment modalities for esophageal cancer include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, each presenting its own limitations. With advancements in endoscopic techniques and the integration of immunotherapy, the feasibility and safety of organ preservation have significantly improved, offering patients improved survival and quality of life. The selection of patients suitable for organ preservation treatment demands ongoing exploration. Those selected for this approach require rigorous monitoring, with surgical intervention as a salvation for tumor progression or metastasis, though the timing of surgery remains a topic of debate...

The microbiome has emerged as a significant biomarker and modulator in cancer development and treatment response. Recent research highlights the notable role of Fusobacterium nucleatum (F. nucleatum) in various tumor types, including breast, colorectal, esophageal, gastric, pancreatic, and lung cancers. Accumulating evidence suggests that the local microbial community forms an integral component of the tumor microenvironment, with bacterial communities within tumors displaying specificity to tumor types. Mechanistic investigations indicate that tumor-associated microbiota can directly influence tumor initiation, progression, and responses to chemotherapy or immunotherapy...

INTRODUCTION: An increase in plan robustness leads to a higher dose to adjacent organs-at-risk (OARs), and an increased chance of post-treatment toxicities. In contrast, more conformal plans lead to sparing of healthy surrounding tissue at the expense of a higher sensitivity to anatomical changes, requiring costly adaptations. In this study, we assess the trade-off and impact of treatment plan robustness on the adaptation rate. METHOD: Treatment planning was performed for 40 lung cancer patients, each having a planning 4DCT and up to eight weekly repeated 4DCTs (reCTs)...

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a malignant tumor that is highly susceptible to metastasis, recurrence and resistance, and few therapeutic targets have been identified and proven effective. Herein, we demonstrated for the first time that Rap1b can positively regulate ESCC cell stemness, as well as designed and synthesized a novel class of Pt(IV) complexes that can effectively inhibit Raplb. In vitro biological studies showed that complex-1 exhibited stronger cytotoxicity than cisplatin and oxaliplatin against a variety of ESCC cells, and effectively reversed cisplatin-induced resistance of TE6 cells by increasing cellular accumulation of platinum and inhibiting cancer cell stemness...

OBJECTIVES: To systematically review the accuracy of spleen stiffness measurement (SSM) by 2D- Shear Wave Elastography (2D-SWE) in predicting high risk for bleeding varices (HRV) in cirrhotic patients. METHODS: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Medline, Cochrane, and Google Scholar databases were searched up to 31/05/2023 for all human studies using 2D-SWE to estimate SSM and endoscopy to detect HRV. Meta-analysis was performed using a generalized linear mixed model...

PURPOSE: This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of various treatment approaches in stage T4b esophageal cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results databases, covering patients diagnosed with esophageal cancer between 2000 and 2020. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to assess cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS) across different treatment patterns. RESULTS: The study included 482 patients: 222 (46...

PURPOSE: Standard intensive care unit (ICU) admission policies and treatment strategies for patients with cancer are still lacking. To depict the current status of admission, characteristics, and outcomes of patients with cancer in the ICU. METHODS: A multicenter cross-sectional study was performed from May 10, 2021 to July 10, 2021, in the ICU departments of 37 cancer-specialized hospitals in China. Clinical records of all admitted patients aged ≥ 14 years and ICU duration > 24 h with complete data were included...