Guidelines for chemotherapy of biliary tract and ampullary carcinomas

Few randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with large numbers of patients have been conducted to date in patients with biliary tract cancer, and standard chemotherapy has not been established yet. In this article we review previous studies and clinical trials regarding chemotherapy for unresectable biliary tract cancer, and we present guidelines for the appropriate use of chemotherapy in patients with biliary tract cancer. According to an RCT comparing chemotherapy and best supportive care for these patients, survival was significantly longer and quality of life was significantly better in the chemotherapy group than in the control group. Thus, chemotherapy for patients with biliary tract cancer seems to be a significant treatment of choice. However, chemotherapy for patients with biliary tract cancer should be indicated for those with unresectable, locally advanced disease or distant metastasis, or for those with recurrence after resection. That is why making the diagnosis of unresectable disease should be done with greatest care. As a rule, pathological diagnosis, including cytology or histopathological diagnosis, is preferable. Chemotherapy is recommended in patients with a good general condition, because in patients with general deterioration, such as those with a performance status of 2 or 3 or those with insufficient biliary decompression, the benefit of chemotherapy is limited. As chemotherapy for unresectable biliary tract cancer, the use of gemcitabine or tegafur/gimeracil/oteracil potassium is recommended. As postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy, no effective adjuvant therapy has been established at the present time. It is recommended that further clinical trials, especially large multi-institutional RCTs (phase III studies) using novel agents such as gemcitabine should be performed as soon as possible in order to establish a standard treatment

Bile acid concentrations, cytotoxicity, and pH of fecal water from patients with colorectal adenomas.

Department of Health Risk Analysis and Toxicology, Universiteit Maastricht, The Netherlands. In the multistage model of human colorectal tumorigenesis, both genetic and environmental factors play an important role. The identity of the environmental factors involved, however, still remains to be elucidated. As fecal bile acids are proposed as candidates, we compared the concentration of bile acids in fecal water from patients at different risk of developing colorectal cancer. In addition, pH of fecal water as well as its cytotoxicity to HT-29 colonic cells was determined. The high-risk group consisted of individuals diagnosed with one or more (tubulo)villous colorectal adenomas larger than 1 cm in diameter and containing moderate or severe dysplasia (N = 20). Subjects with colorectal adenomas smaller than 1 cm and showing only minor dysplasia were assigned to the medium risk group (N = 19). The control group consisted of persons with normal findings by colonoscopy (N = 25). The results show no significant differences in fecal water bile acid concentrations between the three groups. However, 46% of the observed cytotoxicity is explained in a regression model that includes pH and the concentrations of deoxycholic acid, cholic acid, and ursodeoxycholic acid. The pH of fecal water is found to be significantly lower in the high risk group as compared to the controls, suggesting that a relatively high fecal pH has a protective effect on the development of colorectal adenomas. Although hyperproliferation as a result of cytotoxicity has been suggested to contribute to tumor formation in the colon, the pH-dependent cytotoxicity of bile acids in fecal water was not found to be associated with adenoma formation in the present study. Publication Types: Multicenter Stud

Localization of the gene for Cowden disease to chromosome 10q22-23

Contains fulltext : 24259___.PDF (publisher's version ) (Open Access

Normal Left Ventricular Myocardial Thickness for Middle-Aged and Older Subjects With Steady-State Free Precession Cardiac Magnetic Resonance The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

BACKGROUND: Increased left ventricular myocardial thickness (LVMT) is a feature of several cardiac diseases. The purpose of this study was to establish standard reference values of normal LVMT with cardiac MR (CMR) and to assess variation with image acquisition plane, demographics and LV function. METHODS AND RESULTS: End-diastolic LVMT was measured on CMR steady-state free precession cine long and short axis images in 300 consecutive participants free of cardiac disease (169 women; 65.6±8.5 years) of the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis cohort. Mean LVMT on short axis images at the mid-cavity level was 5.3±0.9mm and 6.3±1.1mm for women and men, respectively. The average of the maximum LVMT at the mid-cavity for women/men were 7mm/9mm (long axis) and 7mm/8mm (short axis). Mean LVMT was positively associated with weight (0.02mm/kg, p=0.01) and body-surface-area (1.1mm/m(2), p<0.001). No relationship was found between mean LVMT and age or height. Greater mean LVMT was associated with lower LV end-diastolic volume (0.01mm/ml, p<0.01), a lower LV end-systolic volume (−0.01mm/ml, p=0.01) and lower LV stroke volume (−0.01mm/ml, p<0.05). LVMT measured on long axis images at the basal and mid-cavity level were slightly greater (by 6% and 10%, respectively) than measurements obtained on short axis images; apical LVMT values on long axis images were 20% less than those on short axis images. CONCLUSION: Normal values for wall thickness are provided for middle-aged and older subjects. Normal LVMT is lower for women than men. Observed values vary depending on the imaging plane for measurement