Translation, cross-cultural adaptation, and validation of the Duke Activity Status Index (DASI) to Sinhala language.

Background: Duke Activity Status Index (DASI) is a widely used tool to assess functional capacity among patients, but there is no Sinhala version validated for patients in Sri Lanka. This study aimed to cross-culturally adapt and test the validity and reliability of the Sinhala version of DASI (DASI-S).

Methods: The translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the DASI questionnaire were conducted following the standard guidelines.

Neoadjuvant Chemoradiation for Rectal Cancer Achieves Satisfactory Tumour Regression and Local Recurrence - Result of a Dedicated Multi-disciplinary Approach from a South Asian Centre.

Background: Pre-operative long-course chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for rectal cancer has resulted in improvement in rates of restorative rectal resection and local recurrence by inducing tumour downstaging and downsizing. Total mesorectal excision (TME) is a standardised surgical technique of low anterior resection aimed at the prevention of local tumour recurrence. The purpose of this study was to evaluate tumour response following CRT in a standardised group of patients with rectal cancer.

Surgical Management of Small Bowel Crohn's Disease.

Crohn's disease in the small bowel could present itself as an inflammatory stricture, a fibrotic stricture as penetrating disease or a combination of both. It is pertinent to differentiate the disease process as well as its extent to effectively manage the disease. Currently, a combination of medical and surgical therapies forms part of the treatment plan while the debate of which therapy is better continues.

Complete migration of a composite mesh into small bowel incidentally found during laparotomy for colectomy in an asymptomatic patient: a case report.

Background: Composite meshes are used for incisional hernia repair because they enable intraperitoneal mesh placement due to their dorsal surface, which is made of inert material. We report, for the first time, to our knowledge, a case of composite mesh migration detected incidentally during a laparotomy for colon cancer in an asymptomatic patient.

Case Presentation: Our patient was a 71-year-old South Asian man who underwent ventral mesh repair following a postoperative complication after right hemicolectomy for colon cancer.

A novel structure for online surgical undergraduate teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: The Covid-19 pandemic necessitated the delivery of online higher education. Online learning is a novel experience for medical education in Sri Lanka. A novel approach to undergraduate surgical learning was taken up in an attempt to improve the interest amongst the students in clinical practice while maximizing the limited contact time.

Transanal Ileal Pouch-Anal Anastomosis for Ulcerative Colitis has Comparable Long-Term Functional Outcomes to Transabdominal Approach: A Multicentre Comparative Study.

Background: The transanal approach to ileal pouch-anal anastomosis [Ta-IPAA] provides better access to the lower pelvis with lower short-term morbidity in ulcerative colitis [UC]. The aim of this study was to assess the long-term functional outcomes after Ta-IPAA vs transabdominal IPAA [Abd-IPAA] in UC.

Methods: A multicentre cohort analysis was performed between March 2002 and September 2017.

Risk factors for locally advanced cancer associated with ulcerative colitis: Results of a retrospective multicentric study in the era of biologics.

Background: Patients affected by ulcerative colitis (UC) are more likely to develop colorectal cancer, and are often diagnosed with lymph node involvement (N+) at surgery.

Aim: To identify the risk factors for N+ cancer in UC patients.

Methods: Patients undergoing surgery from 2001 to 2018 in six European tertiary centres were included.

Technical variations and feasibility of transanal ileal pouch-anal anastomosis for ulcerative colitis and inflammatory bowel disease unclassified across continents.

Purpose: Initial reports of transanal ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (taIPAA) suggest safety and feasibility compared with transabdominal IPAA. The purpose of this study was to evaluate differences in technique and results of taIPAA in three centers performing taIPAA across two continents.

Methods: Prospective IPAA registries from three institutions in the US and Europe were queried for patients undergoing taIPAA.

Molecular profiling of advanced breast cancer tumors is beneficial in assisting clinical treatment plans.

We used data obtained by Caris Life Sciences, to evaluate the benefits of tailoring treatments for a breast carcinoma cohort by using tumor molecular profiles to inform decisions. Data for 92 breast cancer patients from the commercial Caris Molecular Intelligence database was retrospectively divided into two groups, so that the first always followed treatment recommendations, whereas in the second group all patients received at least one drug after profiling that was predicted to lack benefit. The biomarker and drug associations were based on tests including fluorescent hybridization and DNA sequencing, although immunohistochemistry was the main test used.

Correction: Does molecular profiling of tumors using the Caris molecular intelligence platform improve outcomes for cancer patients?

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.24258.

Correction: The benefit of tumor molecular profiling on predicting treatments for colorectal adenocarcinomas.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.24257.

Correction: Assessing tumor molecular profiling to guide treatments for patients with advanced female genital tract malignancy.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.23675.

Investigating the benefits of molecular profiling of advanced non-small cell lung cancer tumors to guide treatments.

In this study we utilized data on patient responses to guided treatments, and we evaluated their benefit for a non-small cell lung cancer cohort. The recommended therapies used were predicted using tumor molecular profiles that involved a range of biomarkers but primarily used immunohistochemistry markers. A dataset describing 91 lung non-small cell lung cancer patients was retrospectively split into two.

The benefit of tumor molecular profiling on predicting treatments for colorectal adenocarcinomas.

We evaluated the benefit of tailoring treatments for a colorectal adenocarcinoma cancer cohort according to tumor molecular profiles, by analyzing data collected on patient responses to treatments that were guided by a tumor profiling technology from Caris Life Sciences. DNA sequencing and immunohistochemistry were the main tests that predictions were based upon, but also fragment analysis, and hybridization. The status of the IHC biomarker for the thymidylate synthase receptor was a good indicator for future survival.

Does molecular profiling of tumors using the Caris molecular intelligence platform improve outcomes for cancer patients?

We evaluated the effect of tailoring treatments based on predictions informed by tumor molecular profiles across a range of cancers, using data from Caris Life Sciences. These included breast carcinoma, colorectal adenocarcinoma, female genital tract malignancy, lung non-small cell lung cancer, neuroendocrine tumors, ovarian surface epithelial carcinomas, and urinary tract cancers. Molecular profiles using mostly immunohistochemistry (IHC) and DNA sequencing for tumors from 841 patients had been previously used to recommend treatments; some physicians followed the suggestions completely while some did not.

Assessing tumor molecular profiling to guide treatments for patients with advanced female genital tract malignancy.

Tumor molecular profiling has enabled selection of targeted therapies in a host of solid tumors. Here we used a retrospective clinical cohort, to evaluate the benefit of tailoring treatments for female genital tract malignancy, using tumor molecular profiles. Clinical outcome data for 112 patients was retrospectively separated into two groups.

Colorectal cancer burden and trends in a South Asian cohort: experience from a regional tertiary care center in Sri Lanka.

Objective: Colorectal cancer (CRC) burden is increasing in the south Asian region due to the changing socio-economic landscape and population demographics. There is a lack of robust high quality data from this region in order to evaluate the disease pattern and comparison. Using generalized linear models assuming Poisson distribution and model fitting, authors describe the variation in the landscape of CRC burden along time since 1997 at a regional tertiary care center in Sri Lanka.

Role of SMAD proteins in colitis-associated cancer: from known to the unknown.

Small mothers against decapentaplegic (SMAD) proteins are a family of signal transduction molecules in transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) ligand pathways that have been found to have a key role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Long standing IBD predisposes individuals to colitis-associated colorectal cancer (CAC), an entity that possess unique characteristics compared to hereditary and sporadic cancer. The ligands of the TGFβ super family along with SMADs have also been implicated in several aspects of colorectal cancer formation.

Overall Survival of Elderly Patients Having Surgery for Colorectal Cancer Is Comparable to Younger Patients: Results from a South Asian Population.

Introduction: There has been a continuous debate on whether elderly patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) fair worse. The aim of this study is to assess the thirty-day mortality (TDM) and overall survival (OS) of elderly patients undergoing surgery for CRC.

Method: OS between two groups (≥70 versus <70 years) having surgery for CRC was analyzed.

Single Port Laparoscopic Surgery for Complex Crohn's Disease Is Safe with a Lower Conversion Rate.

Purpose: Single port laparoscopic surgery (SPLS) is a technique which is increasing in popularity. The benefit of SPLS in complex Crohn's disease (CD), which includes a significant cohort of young patients sometimes needing multiple operations, has not been comprehensively assessed. This study analyses our early experience with this technique.

The MACC1-SPON2 axis: a new biomarker and therapeutic target in colorectal cancer.

In this issue of the Journal, Schmid et al identify Spondin 2 (SPON2) as a prominent downstream signaling target of metastasis-associated in colon cancer 1 (MACC1) in colorectal cancer (CRC). It is shown that SPON2 mediates MACC1-induced CRC cell proliferation, invasion and metastasis in vitro and in vivo, while its high expression correlates with adverse disease free survival in clinical samples. Therefore, not only does this study shed further light into the complexity of colorectal carcinogenesis, but it also puts forward a potential novel prognostic biomarker to predict high-risk tumors before they metastasize.

Colorectal cancer in the young, many questions, few answers.

At a time where the incidence of colorectal cancer, a disease predominantly of developed nations, is showing a decline in those 50 years of age and older, data from the West is showing a rising incidence of this cancer in young individuals. Central to this has been the 75% increase in rectal cancer incidence in the last four decades. Furthermore, predictive data based on mathematical modelling indicates a 124 percent rise in the incidence of rectal cancer by the year 2030 - a statistic that calls for collective global thought and action.

Novel use of Absorbable Modified Polymer (AMP®); EndoClot™ as an adjunct in the management of bleeding from the liver bed during laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Absorbable modified polymer (AMP) is a novel local haemostatic agent derived from a natural polysaccharide. Its safety and efficacy has been evaluated in upper and lower gastrointestinal bleeding without reported side effects. We report the safe use of AMP as an adjunct in the management of serious bleeding during laparoscopic cholecystectomy.