Publications by authors named "Melissa W Taggart"

Article Synopsis
  • Inadequate treatment of enlarged lateral lymph nodes (LLNs) in rectal cancer patients leads to higher local recurrence rates, but LLN dissection (LLND) may help reduce this risk.
  • This study will evaluate the outcomes of a standardized treatment approach after multidisciplinary training, aiming for a 50% reduction in local recurrence rates among patients with rectal cancer and enlarged LLNs.
  • The trial involves 200 patients and will assess important outcomes such as local recurrence rates, morbidity, disease-free survival, and quality of life over three years post-surgery, with ethical approval from a Dutch medical ethics board.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The identification of tumor deposits (TD) currently plays a limited role in staging for colorectal cancer (CRC) aside from N1c lymph node designation. The objective of this study was to determine the prognostic impact, beyond American Joint Committee on Cancer N1c designation, of TDs among patients with primary CRC.

Methods: Patients who had resected stage I-III primary CRC diagnosed between 2010 and 2019 were identified from the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Rectal MRI offers a comprehensive view of pelvic anatomy, highlighting the tumor's relationship with essential structures like the mesorectal fascia and sphincter complex, which is crucial for treatment planning.
  • However, there are notable challenges in accurately interpreting MRI results due to inconsistencies in defining the rectum, differentiating it from the anal canal and sigmoid colon, and understanding the location of surrounding anatomy.
  • These interpretational difficulties can significantly affect treatment decisions, emphasizing MRI's role in guiding surgical resection and chemoradiotherapy for better management of rectal cancer.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Appendiceal adenocarcinoma (AA) is a rare cancer with few treatment options, especially for patients who can't have surgery, leading researchers to test a combination therapy of atezolizumab and bevacizumab (Atezo+Bev).
  • In a phase II study, the Atezo+Bev treatment demonstrated a 100% disease control rate and significantly longer progression-free survival (18.3 months) compared to traditional chemotherapy for colorectal cancer (4.4 months).
  • The promising results suggest that Atezo+Bev could be an effective option for patients with unresectable AA, indicating a need for further research into this treatment approach.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Unlabelled: The pathogenesis of duodenal tumors in the inherited tumor syndromes familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and MUTYH-associated polyposis (MAP) is poorly understood. This study aimed to identify genes that are significantly mutated in these tumors and to explore the effects of these mutations. Whole exome and whole transcriptome sequencing identified recurrent somatic coding variants of phosphatidylinositol N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase subunit A (PIGA) in 19/70 (27%) FAP and MAP duodenal adenomas, and further confirmed the established driver roles for APC and KRAS.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Importance: Serum tumor markers carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9), and cancer antigen 125 (CA125) have been useful in the management of gastrointestinal and gynecological cancers; however, there is limited information regarding their utility in patients with appendiceal adenocarcinoma.

Objective: To assess the association of serum tumor markers (CEA, CA19-9, and CA125) with clinical outcomes and pathologic and molecular features in patients with appendiceal adenocarcinoma.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This is a retrospective cohort study at a single tertiary care comprehensive cancer center.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Lynch syndrome (LS) carriers develop certain types of tumors characterized by high rates of neoantigens, but information on targetable neoantigens from precancerous lesions is lacking, which is important for vaccine development.
  • Researchers sequenced genetic data from various stages of colorectal lesions in LS carriers to identify and rank the top 100 mutated neoantigens, validating their findings using specific laboratory assays.
  • The findings showed that while cancers and advanced precancers have numerous neoantigens, precancers exhibit fewer, with a significant proportion of the predicted neoantigens being able to prompt immune responses, suggesting potential for developing targeted vaccines against LS-related precancers and early-stage cancers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Unlabelled: Appendiceal adenocarcinoma (AA) is unique from other gastrointestinal malignancies in that it almost exclusively metastasizes to the peritoneal cavity. However, few studies have investigated the molecular interaction of the peritoneal microenvironment and AA. Here, we use a multi-omics approach with orthotopic and flank-implanted patient-derived xenografts (PDX) to study the effect of the peritoneal microenvironment on AA.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Frozen-section evaluation of the pancreatic margin is challenging. We aimed to determine interobserver variability among gastrointestinal pathologists for the assessment of frozen sections of pancreatic margins with marked chronic pancreatitis and to determine the challenging histological features in discrepant cases.

Methods: We identified 45 patients who underwent pancreas resection for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and showed marked chronic pancreatitis at pancreatic margin.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

BACKGROUND Invasive cervical tumors are often seen in clinical practice. However, there are multiple structures within the pelvis, and invasion of the cervix from another site must be included in the differential diagnosis. In such cases, a multidisciplinary approach is needed to define the organ of tumor origin.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Many patients with mucinous appendiceal adenocarcinoma experience peritoneal recurrence despite complete cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). Prior work has demonstrated that repeat CRS/HIPEC can prolong survival in select patients. We sought to validate these findings using outcomes from a high-volume center.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Lynch Syndrome (LS) carriers have a significantly increased risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC) during their lifetimes. Further stratification of this patient population may help in identifying additional risk factors that predispose to colorectal carcinogenesis. In most LS patients CRC may arise from adenomas, although an alternative non-polypoid carcinogenesis pathway has been proposed for carriers.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The Society of Abdominal Radiology's Colorectal and Anal Cancer Disease-Focused Panel (DFP) first published a rectal cancer lexicon paper in 2019. Since that time, the DFP has published revised initial staging and restaging reporting templates, and a new SAR user guide to accompany the rectal MRI synoptic report (primary staging). This lexicon update summarizes interval developments, while conforming to the original lexicon 2019 format.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Appendiceal neoplasms have a propensity for peritoneal dissemination. The standard of care for select individuals is CRS/HIPEC. In the current 8 AJCC Staging system, a finding of only intraperitoneal acellular mucin (M1a) is classified as Stage IVa.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Lateral pelvic lymph node (LPLN) metastases are an important cause of preventable local failure in rectal cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate clinical and oncological outcomes following magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-directed surgical selection for lateral pelvic lymph node dissection (LPLND) after total neoadjuvant therapy (TNT).

Methods: A retrospective consecutive cohort analysis was performed of rectal cancer patients with enlarged LPLN on pretreatment MRI.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains the third most common cancer in the US with 15% of cases displaying Microsatellite Instability (MSI) secondary to Lynch Syndrome (LS) or somatic hypermethylation of the MLH1 promoter. A cohort of rhesus macaques from our institution developed spontaneous mismatch repair deficient (MMRd) CRC with a notable fraction harboring a pathogenic germline mutation in MLH1 (c.1029C View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Knowing the sensitivity and specificity of tissue-specific immunohistochemical markers is crucial for accurate determination of the primary tumor site. PAX8 has been used as a diagnostic marker for carcinomas of the gynecologic tract, kidney, and thyroid gland, and CDX2 has been used as a marker of gastrointestinal carcinoma. Neither is considered a marker for breast carcinoma (BC).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Patients with T4 colon adenocarcinomas have an increased risk of peritoneal metastases (PM) but the histopathologic risk factors for its development are not well-described.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine factors associated with PM, time to recurrence, and survival after recurrence among patients with T4 colon cancer.

Patients And Methods: Patients with pathologic T4 colon cancer who underwent curative resection from 2005 to 2017 were identified from a prospectively maintained institutional database and classified by recurrence pattern: (a) none - 68.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Rectal neuroendocrine carcinomas (rNECs) are poorly characterized and, given their aggressive nature, optimal management is not well-established. We therefore sought to describe clinicopathologic traits, treatment details, and survival patterns for patients with rNECs.

Methods: Patients captured in the National Cancer Database (NCDB; 2004-2016) with rNECs managed with observation, chemotherapy, or proctectomy ± chemotherapy were considered for analysis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is a hereditary colorectal cancer syndrome, which results in the development of hundreds of adenomatous polyps carpeting the gastrointestinal tract. NSAIDs have reduced polyp burden in patients with FAP and synthetic rexinoids have demonstrated the ability to modulate cytokine-mediated inflammation and WNT signaling. This study examined the use of the combination of an NSAID (sulindac) and a rexinoid (bexarotene) as a durable approach for reducing FAP colonic polyposis to prevent colorectal cancer development.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Hepatic steatosis can lead to liver cancer, cirrhosis, and portal hypertension. There are two main types, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and alcoholic liver disease. The detection and quantification of hepatic steatosis with lifestyle changes can slow the evolution from NAFLD to steatohepatitis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Early diagnosis of hepatic fibrosis (HF) is pivotal for management to cease progression to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. HF is the telltale sign of chronic liver disease, and confirmed by liver biopsy, which is an invasive technique and inclined to sampling errors. The morphologic parameters of cirrhosis are assessed on conventional imaging such as on ultrasound (US), computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Lynch syndrome is the most common cause of hereditary colorectal cancer and is secondary to germline alterations in one of four DNA mismatch repair (MMR) genes. Here we aimed to provide novel insights into the initiation of MMR-deficient (MMRd) colorectal carcinogenesis by characterizing the expression profile of MMRd intestinal stem cells (ISC). A tissue-specific MMRd mouse model (Villin-Cre;Msh2 ) was crossed with a reporter mouse () to trace and isolate ISCs (Lgr5+) using flow cytometry.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF