Impact of resection margin status on recurrence and survival in patients with resectable, borderline resectable, and locally advanced pancreatic cancer.

Background: To improve outcomes for patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, a complete resection is crucial. However, evidence regarding the impact of microscopically positive surgical margins (R1) on recurrence is conflicting due to varying definitions and limited populations of patients with borderline-resectable and locally advanced pancreatic cancer. Therefore, we aimed to determine the impact of the resection margin status on recurrence and survival in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma stratified by local tumor stage.

Development of a Composite Score Based on Carbohydrate Antigen 19-9 Dynamics to Predict Survival in Carbohydrate Antigen 19-9-Producing Patients With Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma After Neoadjuvant Treatment.

Purpose: Dynamics of carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) often inform treatment decisions during and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAT) of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). However, considerable dispute persists regarding the clinical relevance of specific CA19-9 thresholds and dynamics. Therefore, we aimed to define optimal thresholds for CA19-9 values and create a biochemically driven composite score to predict survival in CA19-9-producing patients with PDAC after NAT.

Funerals and Feasts: The Immunological Rites of Cell Death.

The immune system functions as a vanguard against pathogens and toxins. While it is mostly considered to be activated on the basis of self versus non-self recognition, injury/infection and damage are unavoidably associated with cell death. Does cell death play a role in the regulation of the immune response? Cell death, for better or for worse, is an omnipresent process in all stages of life that are observed throughout most tissues in multicellular organisms.