Currently, no established marker exists for predicting peritoneal metastasis progression during chemotherapy, although they are major interruptive factors in sequential chemotherapy in patients with ...advanced gastric cancer (AGC). This multicenter retrospective study was conducted from June 2015 to July 2019, analyzing 73 patients with AGC who underwent taxane-plus-ramucirumab (TAX/RAM) therapy and had their serum carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125) concentrations measured. Of 31 patients with elevated CA125 levels above a cutoff of 35 U/mL, 25 (80.6%) had peritoneal metastasis. The CA125 concentrations before TAX/RAM treatment were associated with ascites burden. The overall survival was significantly shorter in the CA125-elevated group. CA125 kinetics, measured at a median of 28 days after chemotherapy, were associated with the ascites response (complete or partial response: -1.86%/day; stable disease: 0.28%/day; progressive disease: 2.33%/day). Progression-free survival in the CA125-increased group, defined by an increase of 0.0067%/day using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, was significantly poorer among patients with peritoneal metastases. In conclusion, this study highlights that CA125 kinetics can serve as an early predictor for the progression of peritoneal metastasis during TAX/RAM treatment.
Purpose
Dysgeusia is an adverse event caused by chemotherapy. Although retrospective studies have shown zinc administration improves dysgeusia, there have been no prospective studies. The present ...study examined effects of zinc therapy on dysgeusia in patients with gastrointestinal cancer.
Methods
This multicenter, prospective, observational study enrolled patients with dysgeusia during chemotherapy treatment. Patients received no intervention (control), polaprezinc p.o., or zinc acetate hydrate p.o., and serum zinc levels were measured at 0 (baseline), 6, and 12 weeks. Dysgeusia was assessed using CTCAE v5.0 and subjective total taste acuity (STTA) criteria using questionnaires at baseline and 12 weeks.
Results
From February 2020 to June 2021, 180 patients were enrolled from 17 institutes. There were no differences in mean baseline serum zinc levels among the groups (67.3, 66.6, and 67.5 μg/dL in the no intervention, polaprezinc, and zinc acetate hydrate groups, respectively.
P
= 0.846). The changes in mean serum zinc levels after 12 weeks were − 3.8, + 14.3, and + 46.6 μg/dL, and the efficacy rates of dysgeusia were 33.3%, 36.8%, and 34.6% using CTCAE and 33.3%, 52.6%, 32.7% using STTA in the no intervention, polaprezinc, and zinc acetate hydrate groups, respectively. The STTA scores improved in all groups, with significant improvement observed in the polaprezinc group compared with the no intervention group (
P
= 0.045).
Conclusion
There was no significant correlation between the degree of serum zinc elevation and improvement in dysgeusia, suggesting that polaprezinc, but not zinc acetate hydrate, was effective in improving chemotherapy-induced dysgeusia.
Trial registration.
UMIN000039653. Date of registration: March 2, 2020.
We report two cases of patients with gastric linitis plastica (GLP), in which the histopathological diagnosis was made by endoscopic ultrasound‐guided fine‐needle biopsy (EUS‐FNB) using a ...Franseen‐tip needle. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy findings showed mucosal swelling and poor distensibility of the gastric antrum. Abdominal computed tomography findings showed significant thickening of the gastric wall at the antrum. Conventional endoscopic and bite‐on‐bite biopsy were attempted but resulted in failure to diagnose the lesions. We performed EUS‐FNB to obtain histopathological samples from a deeper site, which confirmed the diagnosis. We considered this method safe and effective for the diagnosis of GLP.
Abstract
Background
An exploratory study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of granulocyte colony stimulating factor support for chemotherapy consisting of docetaxel, cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil ...chemotherapy in patients with oesophageal cancer.
Methods
The inclusion criteria were as follows: (1) oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma, (2) a schedule to receive three courses of induction chemotherapy (docetaxel 75 mg/m2 day 1, cisplatin 75 mg/m2 day 1, 5-fluorouracil 750 mg/m2 days 1–5, every 3 weeks), (3) stage IB-III, (4) 20–75 years old, (5) 0–1 performance status, (6) preserved organ functions and (7) written informed consent. The endpoints were to evaluate the efficacy of granulocyte colony stimulating factor support including secondary prophylactic usage for docetaxel, cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil chemotherapy. Patients who previously had ‘febrile neutropenia’, or ‘Grade 3 or 4 infection accompanied by grade 3 or 4 neutropenia’ prophylactically received granulocyte colony stimulating factor support from day 7.
Results
A total of 91 patients were included in the analysis. Granulocyte colony stimulating factor support was given to 81.3%. The incidence of grade 4 neutropenia and febrile neutropenia were 81.3 and 32.9%, respectively. The dose of anticancer agents was reduced in 48.4%. There were no treatment-related deaths. The relative dose intensity of docetaxel, cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil were 92.7 ± 9.8%, 86.0 ± 15.6% and 91.8 ± 10.0%, respectively. In the secondary prophylactic granulocyte colony stimulating factor support group, the neutrophil count significantly increased between day 7 and day 13 as compared with the non-prophylactic granulocyte colony stimulating factor support group (P < 0.05 for each day).
Conclusions
Granulocyte colony stimulating factor support including secondary prophylactic usage may be feasible for maintaining the intensity of docetaxel, cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil chemotherapy in patients with oesophageal cancer.
Granulocyte colony stimulating factor support including secondary prophylactic usage may be feasible for maintaining the intensity of chemotherapy consisting of docetaxel, cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil in patients with oesophageal cancer.
This study aimed to assess the utility of the S-O clip during colorectal endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD). We conducted a retrospective study on 185 patients who underwent colorectal ESD from ...January 2015 to January 2020. The patients were divided into two groups: before and after the introduction of the S-O clip. Forty-two patients underwent conventional ESD (CO group) and 29 patients underwent ESD using the S-O clip (SO group). We compared the surgery duration, dissection speed, en bloc resection rate, and complication rate between both groups. Compared with the CO group, the SO group had a significantly shorter surgery duration (70.7 ± 37.9 min vs. 51.2 ± 18.6 min;
= 0.017), a significantly higher dissection speed (15.1 ± 9.0 min vs. 26.3 ± 13.8 min;
< 0.001), a significantly higher en bloc resection rate (80.9% vs. 98.8%;
≤ 0.001), and a significantly lower perforation rate (4.3% vs. 1.3%). In the right colon, the surgery duration was significantly shorter and the dissection speed was significantly higher in the SO group than in the CO group. Moreover, the rate of en bloc resection improved significantly in the right colon. S-O clip-assisted ESD reduces the procedure time and improves the treatment effects, especially in the right colon.
Background
Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection induces methylation silencing of specific genes in gastric epithelium. Various stimuli activate the nonselective cation channel TRPV4, which is expressed ...in gastric epithelium where it detects mechanical stimuli and promotes ATP release. As CpG islands in TRPV4 are methylated in HP‐infected gastric epithelium, we evaluated HP infection‐dependent changes in TRPV4 expression in gastric epithelium.
Materials and Methods
Human gastric biopsy samples, a human gastric cancer cell line (AGS), and a normal gastric epithelial cell line (GES‐1) were used to detect TRPV4 mRNA and protein expression by RT‐PCR and Western blotting, respectively. Ca2+ imaging was used to evaluate TRPV4 ion channel activity. TRPV4 methylation status was assessed by methylation‐specific PCR (MSP). ATP release was measured by a luciferin‐luciferase assay.
Results
TRPV4 mRNA and protein were detected in human gastric biopsy samples and in GES‐1 cells. MSP and demethylation assays showed TRPV4 methylation silencing in AGS cells. HP coculture directly induced methylation silencing of TRPV4 in GES‐1 cells. In human samples, HP infection was associated with TRPV4 methylation silencing that recovered after HP eradication in a time‐dependent manner.
Conclusion
HP infection‐dependent DNA methylation suppressed TRPV4 expression in human gastric epithelia, suggesting that TRPV4 methylation may be involved in HP‐associated dyspepsia.
Extrapulmonary neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC) is a rare disease, and there is no standard chemotherapy. A 73-year-old man was diagnosed with advanced gastric NEC. He received chemotherapy of ...irinotecan plus cisplatin, and amrubicin monotherapy. After failure of second-line chemotherapy, he received ramucirumab plus paclitaxel; this treatment was chosen because vascular endothelial growth factor 2 was strongly expressed in the tumor endothelial cells. After two cycles, his NEC had markedly reduced in size, and he continued with this treatment for over eight months. In this case, the combination of an anti-angiogenic inhibitor and a cytotoxic agent was highly effective for gastric NEC.
Diarrhea is a common adverse event of fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy. However, limited data are available on the frequency and risk factors of complicated chemotherapy-induced diarrhea (CID) and ...small intestinal mucosal damage. In this current study, we aimed to determine the incidence of complicated CID and mucosal injury among patients with complicated CID receiving fluoropyrimidine via small bowel capsule endoscopy (CE) and determined baseline risk factors associated with complicated CID.
In total, 536 patients with advanced or recurrent gastrointestinal cancer who received fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy were retrospectively analyzed. Diarrhea was evaluated using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 4. Complicated CID was defined according to the American Society of Clinical Oncology guidelines. To evaluate small intestinal mucosal injury in patients with complicated CID, CE was performed. Multivariate analysis was performed to identify risk factors for complicated CID.
Total number of 32 (6%) patients developed complicated CID. Complicating symptoms were noted in 25 (78%) patients, with cramping, vomiting, and sepsis being observed in 15 (60%), 8 (32%), and 3 (12%) patients, respectively. Among the 13 patients who underwent CE, 11 (85%) showed abnormal findings. Multivariate analysis revealed that oral fluoropyrimidine administration was a risk factor for complicated CID (odds ratio 2.95; 95% confidence interval 1.06-8.19).
Despite the relatively low incidence of complicated CID, mucosal injury of small intestine was common in patients with complicated fluoropyrimidine-induced diarrhea and oral fluoropyrimidine was an independent risk factor.