Trends of Incidence and Survival of Gastrointestinal Neuroendocrine Tumors in the United States: A Seer Analysis

OBJECTIVES: To examine trends in detection and survival of hollow viscus gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) across time and geographic regions of the U.S

Trends in the surgical management of diverticulitis

Abstract Sigmoid diverticulitis is an increasingly common Western disease associated with a high morbidity and cost of treatment. Improvement in the understanding of the disease process, along with advances in the diagnosis and medical management has led to recent changes in treatment recommendations. Th e natural history of diverticulitis is more benign than previously thought, and current trends favor more conservative, less invasive management. Despite current recommendations of more restrictive indications for surgery, practice trends indicate an increase in elective operations being performed for the treatment of diverticulitis. Due to diversity in disease presentation, in many cases, optimal surgical treatment of acute diverticulitis remains unclear with regard to patient selection, timing, and technical approach in both elective and urgent settings. As a result, data is limited to mostly retrospective and non-randomized studies. Th is review addresses the current treatment recommendations for surgical management of diverticulitis, highlighting technical aspects and patterns of care

Three in a Box: Understanding Cardiomyocyte, Fibroblast, and Innate Immune Cell Interactions to Orchestrate Cardiac Repair Processes

Following an insult by both intrinsic and extrinsic pathways, complex cellular, and molecular interactions determine a successful recovery or inadequate repair of damaged tissue. The efficiency of this process is particularly important in the heart, an organ characterized by very limited regenerative and repair capacity in higher adult vertebrates. Cardiac insult is characteristically associated with fibrosis and heart failure, as a result of cardiomyocyte death, myocardial degeneration, and adverse remodeling. Recent evidence implies that resident non-cardiomyocytes, fibroblasts but also macrophages -pillars of the innate immunity- form part of the inflammatory response and decisively affect the repair process following a cardiac insult. Multiple studies in model organisms (mouse, zebrafish) of various developmental stages (adult and neonatal) combined with genetically engineered cell plasticity and differentiation intervention protocols -mainly targeting cardiac fibroblasts or progenitor cells-reveal particular roles of resident and recruited innate immune cells and their secretome in the coordination of cardiac repair. The interplay of innate immune cells with cardiac fibroblasts and cardiomyocytes is emerging as a crucial platform to help our understanding and, importantly, to allow the development of effective interventions sufficient to minimize cardiac damage and dysfunction after injury

Deficient Pms2, ERCC1, Ku86, CcOI in Field Defects During Progression to Colon Cancer

In carcinogenesis, the "field defect" is recognized clinically because of the high propensity of survivors of certain cancers to develop other malignancies of the same tissue type, often in a nearby location. Such field defects have been indicated in colon cancer. The molecular abnormalities that are responsible for a field defect in the colon should be detectable at high frequency in the histologically normal tissue surrounding a colonic adenocarcinoma or surrounding an adenoma with advanced neoplasia (well on the way to a colon cancer), but at low frequency in the colonic mucosa from patients without colonic neoplasia

Minimally invasive versus open distal pancreatectomy for pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors: An analysis from the U.S. neuroendocrine tumor study group

BackgroundTo determine shortâ and longâ term oncologic outcomes after minimally invasive distal pancreatectomy (MIDP) with open distal pancreatectomy (ODP) for the treatment of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (pNET).MethodsThe data of the patients who underwent curative MIDP or ODP for pNET between 2000 and 2016 were collected from a multiâ institutional database. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to generate 1:1 matched patients with MIDP and ODP.ResultsA total of 576 patients undergoing curative DP for pNET were included. Two hundred and fourteen (37.2%) patients underwent MIDP, whereas 362 (62.8%) underwent ODP. MIDP was increasingly performed over time (2000â 2004: 9.3% vs 2013â 2016: 54.8%; Pâ <â 0.01). In the matched cohort (nâ =â 141 in each group), patients who underwent MIDP had less blood loss (median, 100 vs 200â mL, Pâ <â 0.001), lower incidence of Clavienâ Dindoâ â ¥â III complications (12.1% vs 24.8%, Pâ =â 0.026), and a shorter hospital stay versus ODP (median, 4 versus 7 days, Pâ =â 0.026). Patients who underwent MIDP had a lower incidence of recurrence (5â year cumulative recurrence, 10.1% vs 31.1%, Pâ <â 0.001), yet equivalent overall survival (OS) rate (5â year OS, 92.1% vs 90.9%, Pâ =â 0.550) compared with patients who underwent OPD.ConclusionPatients undergoing MIDP over ODP in the treatment of pNET had comparable oncologic surgical metrics, as well as similar longâ term OS.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/150595/1/jso25481_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/150595/2/jso25481.pd

What carcinoembryonic antigen level should trigger further investigation during colorectal cancer follow-up? A systematic review and secondary analysis of a randomised controlled trial

Background Following primary surgical and adjuvant treatment for colorectal cancer, many patients are routinely followed up with blood carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) testing. Objective To determine how the CEA test result should be interpreted to inform the decision to undertake further investigation to detect treatable recurrences. Design Two studies were conducted: (1) a Cochrane review of existing studies describing the diagnostic accuracy of blood CEA testing for detecting colorectal recurrence; and (2) a secondary analysis of data from the two arms of the FACS (Follow-up After Colorectal Surgery) trial in which CEA testing was carried out. Setting and participants The secondary analysis was based on data from 582 patients recruited into the FACS trial between 2003 and 2009 from 39 NHS hospitals in England with access to high-volume services offering surgical treatment of metastatic recurrence and followed up for 5 years. CEA testing was undertaken in general practice. Results In the systematic review we identified 52 studies for meta-analysis, including in aggregate 9717 participants (median study sample size 139, interquartile range 72–247). Pooled sensitivity at the most commonly recommended threshold in national guidelines of 5 µg/l was 71% [95% confidence interval (CI) 64% to 76%] and specificity was 88% (95% CI 84% to 92%). In the secondary analysis of FACS data, the diagnostic accuracy of a single CEA test was less than was suggested by the review [area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) 0.74, 95% CI 0.68 to 0.80]. At the commonly recommended threshold of 5 µg/l, sensitivity was estimated as 50.0% (95% CI 40.1% to 59.9%) and lead time as about 3 months. About four in 10 patients without a recurrence will have at least one false alarm and six out of 10 tests will be false alarms (some patients will have multiple false alarms, particularly smokers). Making decisions to further investigate based on the trend in serial CEA measurements is better (AUC for positive trend 0.85, 95% CI 0.78 to 0.91), but to maintain approximately 70% sensitivity with 90% specificity it is necessary to increase the frequency of testing in year 1 and to apply a reducing threshold for investigation as measurements accrue. Limitations The reference standards were imperfect and the main analysis was subject to work-up bias and had limited statistical precision and no external validation. Conclusions The results suggest that (1) CEA testing should not be used alone as a triage test; (2) in year 1, testing frequency should be increased (to monthly for 3 months and then every 2 months); (3) the threshold for investigating a single test result should be raised to 10 µg/l; (4) after the second CEA test, decisions to investigate further should be made on the basis of the trend in CEA levels; (5) the optimal threshold for investigating the CEA trend falls over time; and (6) continuing smokers should not be monitored with CEA testing. Further research is needed to explore the operational feasibility of monitoring the trend in CEA levels and to externally validate the proposed thresholds for further investigation. Study registration This study is registered as PROSPERO CRD42015019327 and Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN93652154. Funding The main FACS trial and this substudy were funded by the National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment programme

Identification of biomarkers in ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast with microinvasion

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Widespread use of mammography in breast cancer screening has led to the identification of increasing numbers of patients with ductal carcinoma <it>in situ </it>(DCIS). DCIS of the breast with an area of focal invasion 1 mm or less in diameter is defined as DCIS with microinvasion, DCIS-Mi. Identification of biological differences between DCIS and DCIS-Mi may aid in understanding of the nature and causes of the progression of DCIS to invasiveness.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In this study, using resected breast cancer tissues, we compared pure DCIS (52 cases) and DCIS-Mi (28 cases) with regard to pathological findings of intraductal lesions, biological factors, apoptosis-related protein expression, and proliferative capacity through the use of immunohistochemistry and the TdT-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL) method.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There were no differences in biological factors between DCIS and DCIS-Mi, with respect to levels of estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2. The frequency of necrosis and positive expression ratio of survivin and Bax were significantly higher in DCIS-Mi than in DCIS. In addition, apoptotic index, Ki-67 index, and positive Bcl-2 immunolabeling tended to be higher in DCIS-Mi than in DCIS. Multivariate analysis revealed that the presence of necrosis and positive survivin expression were independent factors associated with invasion.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Compared with DCIS, DCIS-Mi is characterized by a slightly elevated cell proliferation capacity and enhanced apoptosis within the intraductal lesion, both of which are thought to promote the formation of cell necrotic foci. Furthermore, the differential expression of survivin may serve in deciding the response to therapy and may have some prognostic significance.</p