gastrointestinal oncology

INTRODUCTION: Retroperitoneum can be the origin of a wide variety of pathologic conditions and potential space for disease spread to other compartments of the abdomen and pelvis. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are often the initial imaging modalities to evaluate the retroperitoneal pathologies, however given the intrinsic limitations, F18-FDG PET/CT provides additional valuable metabolic information which can change the patient management and clinical outcomes...

BACKGROUND: Social conditions and dietary behaviors have been implicated in the rising burden of gastrointestinal cancers (GIC). The "food environment" reflects influences on a community level relative to food availability, nutritional assistance, and social determinants of health. Using the US Department of Agriculture-Food Environment Atlas (FEA), we sought to characterize the association of food environment on GIC presenting stage and long-term survival. METHODS: Patients diagnosed with GIC between 2013 and 2017 were identified using the SEER database...

BACKGROUND: Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors (GISTs) are the most common mesenchymal tumors of the GI tract. SEER is an extensive cancer database which proves useful in analyzing population trends. This analysis investigated GIST outcomes between geriatric & non-geriatric patients. METHODS: SEER*STAT 8.4.0.1 was used to extract relevant GIST data from 2000 to 2019. Geriatric age was defined as ≥70 years. Variables included age, sex, surgery, cancer-specific death, and overall survival...

Colorectal cancer, with the liver being the most common site of distant metastasis, followed by the lungs and bones. Although reports of metastasis to the testis exist, paratesticular metastasis is extremely rare. A 37-year-old male presented with scrotal swelling. Ultrasound revealed hydrocele of the tunica vaginalis. The patient underwent routine surgical treatment, and postoperative pathology of the tunica vaginalis indicated adenocarcinoma of gastrointestinal origin. Colonoscopic biopsy confirmed adenocarcinoma of the sigmoid colon...

The low fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols (FODMAP) diet, designed to alleviate symptoms in individuals with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), focuses on limiting the consumption of poorly absorbed fermentable carbohydrates known as FODMAP. These FODMAP are believed to be the primary triggers for food-related gastrointestinal symptoms in functional gastrointestinal disorders. However, there is currently insufficient direct evidence investigating the role of low FODMAP diets in cancer patients undergoing treatment...

Objective: To investigate perspectives and changes in treatment selection by Chinese surgeons since introduction of the watch-and-wait approach after neoadjuvant therapy for rectal cancer. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a questionnaire distributed through the "Wenjuanxing" online survey platform. The survey focused on the recognition and practices of Chinese surgeons regarding the strategy of watch-and-wait after neoadjuvant therapy for rectal cancer and was disseminated within the China Watch-and-Wait Database (CWWD) WeChat group...

Objective: To report the long-term outcomes of Chinese rectal cancer patients after adopting a Watch and Wait (W&W) strategy following neoadjuvant therapy (NAT). Methods: This multicenter, cross-sectional study was based on real-world data. The study cohort comprised rectal cancer patients who had achieved complete or near complete clinical responses (cCRs, near-cCRs) after NAT and were thereafter managed by a W&W approach, as well as a few patients who had achieved good responses after NAT and had then undergone local excision for confirmation of pathological complete response...

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...

For patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) who achieve disease control during first-line standard therapy, post-induction strategies should emphasize on quality of life improvement while maintaining disease control. Chemotherapy combined with anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) monoclonal antibody is the standard first-line treatment for RAS wild-type mCRC patients. After anti-EGFR-based first-line induction therapy achieves at least stable disease, anti-EGFR-based maintenance treatment could maintain disease control while keeping a good safety profile...

PURPOSE: Exercise before surgery, as part of prehabilitation, aiming to enhance patients' functional and physiological capacity, has become widespread, necessitating an in-depth understanding. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted on Pubmed, Cochrane, and Scopus to examine the effect of exercise as prehabilitation, alone or in combination with other interventions, in patients with cancer. Interventional studies applying a single-arm, randomized controlled, or nonrandomized design were included...

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Gastric cancer (GC) is a major leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Systemic inflammation and the nutrition-based score are feasible prognostic markers for malignancies. Emerging evidence has also revealed the C-reactive protein -albumin-lymphocyte (CALLY) index to be a prognostic marker for several cancer types. However, its clinical significance to predict surgical and oncological outcomes of GC patients remains unclear. METHODS: We assessed the preoperative CALLY index in 426 GC patients who received gastrectomy...

BACKGROUND: Advances in perioperative chemotherapy have improved outcomes in patients with gastric cancers (GC). This strategy leads to tumour downstaging and may result in a pathologic complete response (pCR). The study aimed to evaluate the predictors of pCR and determine the impact of pCR on long-term survival. METHODS: At the Department of Gastrointestinal and HPB Oncology at the Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai, 1001 consecutive patients with locally advanced GCs undergoing radical resection following neoadjuvant chemotherapy from January 2005 to June 2022 were included...

IMPORTANCE: Suboptimal surgical performance is hypothesized to be associated with less favorable patient outcomes in minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE). Establishing this association may lead to programs that promote better surgical performance of MIE and improve patient outcomes. OBJECTIVE: To investigate associations between surgical performance and postoperative outcomes after MIE. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: In this nationwide cohort study of 15 Dutch hospitals that perform more than 20 MIEs per year, 7 masked expert MIE surgeons assessed surgical performance using videos and a previously developed and validated competency assessment tool (CAT)...

Colon cancer is a common gastrointestinal malignant tumor. In addition to conventional treatment, thoughtful and comprehensive aftercare should be given to patients. The present study aimed to explore the effects of explain-simulate-practice-communication-support (ESPCS) model nursing on the surgical tolerance, gastrointestinal recovery and self-management efficacy of patients with colon cancer. The clinical data of 136 patients with colon cancer diagnosed and treated at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University (Harbin, China) from June 2020 to April 2022 were retrospectively analyzed and a total of 84 patients met the inclusion criteria...

BACKGROUND: Although current guidelines(ESPEN guideline: Clinical nutrition in surgery and other guidelines) recommend preoperative immunonutrition for cachectic gastric cancer patients, the strength of the recommendation is weak, and the level of evidence is low. The benefits of preoperative immunonutrition still remain controversial. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 112 patients with gastric cancer cachexia were enrolled in the study and randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive either preoperative enteral immunonutrition support (IN, n = 56) or standard enteral nutrition support (SEN, n = 56)...

BACKGROUND: The aim of this multi-institutional phase II study was to confirm the safety and the potential efficacy of moderately hypofractionated intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) with prostate-based image-guidance for Japanese patients. METHODS: Patients with low- or intermediate-risk localized prostate cancer were eligible. Patients with a part of high risk (having only one of the following factors, cT3a, 20 < PSA ≤ 30, or GS = 8 or 9) were also included...

BACKGROUND: Gastrointestinal large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (GILCNEC) has a low incidence but high malignancy and poor prognosis.The main purpose of this study was to thoroughly investigate its clinicopathological features, survival and prognostic factors. METHODS: Information on patients with GILCNEC was extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Result program, and prognostic factors were analyzed by analyzing clinicopathological data and survival functions...

Due to the widespread use of cancer genetic testing in gastrointestinal cancer, the BRCA1/2 genetic mutation has been identified in biliary tract cancer as well as pancreatic cancer. Niraparib is a poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor, and PARP inhibitors exert their cytotoxicity against cancer cells in the context of homologous recombination deficiency, such as BRCA mutations, via the mechanism of synthetic lethality. The aim of this phase II NIR-B trial is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of niraparib for patients with unresectable advanced or recurrent biliary tract cancer, pancreatic cancer or other gastrointestinal cancers with germline or somatic BRCA1/2 mutations revealed by genetic testing...

Considerable advances in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer have made a huge impact on morbidity and mortality from neoplastic diseases. However, cancer remains the leading cause of death across the world. This is a retrospective study carried out at a tertiary cancer care centre (Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology, Bangalore) in South India. Case records of all cancer patients who died while receiving inpatient treatment between January 2022 and December 2022 under the Department of Medical Oncology were reviewed and studied...

BACKGROUND: Medium- to high-risk classification-gastrointestinal stromal tumors (MH-GIST) have a high recurrence rate and are difficult to treat. This study aims to predict the recurrence of MH-GIST within 3 years after surgery based on clinical data and preoperative Delta-CT Radiomics modeling. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical imaging data of 242 cases confirmed to have MH-GIST after surgery, including 92 cases of recurrence and 150 cases of normal...