Bridging metallic stent placement in acute obstructed left sided malignant colorectal cancer: optimal time for surgery.

Background: Colonic stenting is now the preferred treatment either for palliation or as a bridge to surgery for obstructed colorectal cancer. It reduces complications from emergency surgery and the need for colostomy formation. However, stent perforation can lead to peritoneal tumor spillage, a higher rate of infection and changing the risk of a potentially curable disease to an incurable one.

Incidence of primary colorectal cancer from colonoscopy examinations in patients presenting with liver mass.

Background: An in-patient presented with atypical primary liver mass and was suspected of having liver metastasis. One method of investigation is colonoscopy; however, there are currently no clear guidelines to indicate when this procedure should be performed.

Material And Method: This was a retrospective review of 6 years' data from the surgical endoscopic unit in Rajavithi Hospital.

Prognostic relevance of circulating CK19 mRNA in advanced malignant biliary tract diseases.

Aim: To determine the role of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in prediction of the overall survival of patients with advanced malignant biliary tract obstruction.

Methods: We investigated the prognostic value of CTCs by examining two markers, cytokeratin (CK) 19 and human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) mRNA, in 40 patients diagnosed with advanced malignant biliary tract diseases. Quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was used to detect CK19 and hTERT mRNA in the peripheral blood of these patients.

Serum NGAL to Clinically Distinguish Cholangiocarcinoma from Benign Biliary Tract Diseases.

Aim. To determine whether the serum level of NGAL can discriminate cholangiocarcinoma from benign biliary tract disease in patients. Methods.

Prospective study of MMP7 serum levels in the diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma.

Aim: To determine whether the serum level of matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP7) has the potential to diagnosis cholangiocarcinoma from benign biliary tract diseases.

Methods: This study was performed according to the PRoBE (a prospective-specimen-collection, retrospective-blinded-evaluation) design. A total of 187 patients with obstructive jaundice were consecutively enrolled.

Cholangiocarcinoma in a 24-year-old woman with hepatolithiasis.

Hepatolithiasis is well known to represent an etiology of cholangiocarcinoma. The average age of patients with a diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma that occurs as a complication of hepatolithiasis is about 62-year-old. Here, the authors present a case of cholangiocarcinoma that occurred in a 24-year-old woman who presented with the recurrent cholangitis from hepatolithiasis.

Detection of serum MMP-7 and MMP-9 in cholangiocarcinoma patients: evaluation of diagnostic accuracy.

Background: Cholangiocarcinoma is an aggressive tumor with a tendency for local invasion and distant metastases. Timely diagnosis is very important because surgical resection (R0) remains the only hope for a cure. However, at present, there is no available tumor marker that can differentiate cholangiocarcinoma from benign bile duct disease.

Role of ciprofloxacin in patients with cholestasis after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography.

Aim: To determine the role of ciprofloxacin in reducing cholangitis in cholestatic patients with adequate biliary drainage after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP).

Methods: A randomized, controlled trial was performed in 48 cholestatic patients at Rajavithi Hospital (Tertiary Referral Center for ERCP: 600 cases per year). All the 48 patients received 200 mg ciprofloxacin intravenous injection for 30 min before starting any procedures, and then were randomly divided in two groups.

Circulating hTERT mRNA as a tumor marker in cholangiocarcinoma patients.

Aim: To investigate human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) mRNA in the serum of cholangiocarcinoma patients.

Methods: The serum of thirty three cholangiocarcinoma patients, forty one benign biliary tract disease patients and ten healthy volunteers were collected and analyzed for the expression of hTERT mRNA by real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). We then examined the correlation between values of serum hTERT mRNA and the pathological staging of cholangiocarcinoma.