Alteration of Apparent Diffusion Coefficient Measurements Predict Survival Outcomes During Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy in Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer.

Background/aim: Neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy (nCRT) followed by surgery is recommended for patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). However, because 30%-40% of patients with LARC do not respond to nCRT, better prediction of treatment responses and survival outcomes is required. Therefore, this study aimed to identify apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values that predict survival outcomes after nCRT in patients with LARC.

Feasibility of hybrid robotic rectal surgery.

Purpose: To investigate the feasibility of combined robotic rectal surgery and transanal total mesorectal excision (hybrid robotic surgery).

Methods: Among 143 robotic rectal surgeries performed from 2017 to 2022, 85 were hybrid robotic surgeries and were analyzed in this study. The cohort comprised 59 males and 26 females with a mean age of 65.

Role of mast cell in locally advanced rectal cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy.

The pro-tumor effects of mast cell (MC) in the tumor microenvironment (TME) are becoming increasingly clear. Recently, MC were shown to contribute to tumor malignancy by supporting the migration of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), suggesting a relationship with tumor immunity. In the current study, we aimed to examine the correlation between MC infiltration and neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) response for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC).

Impact of pure desmoplastic histological growth patterns in colorectal liver metastasis.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) has increasingly come into worldwide cancer and almost half of patients have liver metastasis (CRLM) during the progression. Therefore, treatment of colorectal cancer liver metastasis (CRLM) is important to improve the prognosis of CRC patients. Histopathological growth patterns (HGPs) of CRLM have emerged as a reliable prognostic marker.

Feasibility of robot-assisted surgery for defining circumferential resection margins for rectal cancer: a retrospective study.

Background: Local recurrence is a major problem after surgery for rectal cancer. Precision of the circumferential resection margin (CRM) has been shown to be an independent predictor of local recurrence. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the usefulness of robotic surgery for defining the CRM.

Impact of robotic gastrectomy in patients with primary T3 or more advanced gastric cancer.

Background: The use of robotic surgery (RS) for gastric cancer (GC) has been rapidly increasing. However, the utility of RS for advanced GC (AGC), especially T3 or more AGC, is unclear.

Methods: Ninety patients who underwent curative upfront minimally invasive surgery (MIS) (D2 lymph node dissection) for fStage II or III GC were enrolled in this study.

Circulating Exosomal MicroRNA Signature Predicts Peritoneal Metastasis in Patients with Advanced Gastric Cancer.

Background: Despite a radical operation, about half of gastric cancer (GC) patients with advanced GC experience peritoneal metastasis (PM), and the patients with PM have a poor prognosis. However, because staging laparoscopy was a highly invasive procedure for patients, identification of PM using a liquid biopsy can be useful for patients with GC.

Methods: This study analyzed two genome-wide miRNA expression profiling datasets (GSE164174 and TCGA).

Prognostic impact of the combination of p16, p21 and Immunoscore in rectal cancer.

Background: The association between p16 and p21, a marker of cellular senescence, and the Immunoscore, an immunological prognostic indicator, in rectal cancer patients undergoing curative surgery were investigated.

Methods: A total of 82 patients who underwent curative surgery for rectal cancer were evaluated. The resected specimens were analyzed for p16, p21, CD3 and CD8 expression by immunohistochemistry.

Blue light irradiation inhibits the M2 polarization of the cancer-associated macrophages in colon cancer.

Recent studies have shown that blue light-emitting diode (LED) light has anti-tumor effects, suggesting the possibility of using visible light in cancer therapy. However, the effects of blue light irradiation on cells in the tumor microenvironment, including tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), are unknown. Here, THP-1 cells were cultured in the conditioned medium (CM) of HCT-116 cells to prepare TAMs.

Feasibility of laparoscopic and endoscopic cooperative surgery for gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumor with tumor diameter of >5 cm.

Background: Laparoscopic and endoscopic cooperative surgery (LECS) is an effective treatment for gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs). The utility of LECS for gastric GISTs of > 5 cm remains controversial. This study was performed to investigate the feasibility of LECS for gastric GISTs with a tumor diameter of >5 cm.

Number of Healthy Teeth Can Predict the Response of Rectal Cancer to Chemoradiotherapy: A Retrospective Study.

Background: It has been reported that the oral and gut microbiomes are associated with the prognosis in patients who undergo surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation for colorectal cancer. This study is the first to identify a correlation between the number of healthy teeth, which is an oral health indicator, and the efficacy of preoperative chemotherapy for rectal cancer.

Methods: This retrospective single-center study included 30 patients who underwent radical surgery after preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) between December 2013 and June 2021.

Comparison of the short-term surgical outcomes of lateral lymph node dissection for low rectal cancer using a robotic-assisted transabdominal approach alone or supported by a transanal approach.

Background: Lateral lymph node metastases are a major cause of local recurrence after surgery for advanced low rectal cancer. Lateral lymph node dissection (LLND) may reduce the risk of local recurrence in patients with suspected lateral lymph node metastasis. Recent reports have shown that robotic-assisted LLND can help to reduce the postoperative complication rate, such as urinary disturbance.

Preoperative evaluation to determine the difficulty of No. 6 lymphadenectomy in laparoscopic gastrectomy.

Background: Laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) requires a long learning curve because of the complicated surgical procedures. Infrapyloric (No. 6) lymph node dissection (LND) is one of the difficult procedures in LG, especially for trainees.

Role of stromal PD-L1 expression in colorectal liver metastasis.

Background And Aim: The outcomes of immune checkpoint blockade for colorectal cancer (CRC) treatment are unsatisfactory. Furthermore, the efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade for liver metastasis of various cancer is poor. Here, we investigated the relationship between stromal programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression and the prognosis of patients with colorectal cancer liver metastasis (CRLM).

Conversion surgery after successful response to chemotherapy (S-1 + oxaliplatin + nivolumab) in a patient with stage IV gastric cancer with peritoneal metastasis (P1, CY1): a case report.

We here present a case report of a patient with Stage IV gastric cancer with peritoneal metastasis (P1, CY1) who underwent conversion surgery after a successful response to chemotherapy (S-1 + oxaliplatin + nivolumab). The patient was a woman in her 60 s. Her chief complaint was epigastric pain.

The application of enhanced recovery after surgery in total gastrectomy: a propensity score-matched analysis.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the feasibility and safety of our enhanced recovery after surgery protocol including early oral intake and omitting nasogastric tube (NGT) placement after total gastrectomy.

Methods: We analyzed 182 consecutive patients who underwent total gastrectomy. The clinical pathway was changed in 2015, and patients were divided into 2 groups (conventional group and modified group).

Utility of robotic surgery for Siewert type II/III adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction: transhiatal robotic versus laparoscopic approach.

Background: Robotic surgery (RS) has been rapidly adopted for gastric cancer and adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction (AEG). However, the utility of RS for Siewert type II/III AEG remains unclear.

Methods: Forty-one patients who underwent either transhiatal RS (n = 15) or laparoscopic surgery (LS) (n = 26) for Siewert type II/III AEG were enrolled in this study.

The Impact of the Pre-operative Neutrophil-lymphocyte Ratio as the Predictive Marker of Post-operative Weight Loss and Improving Diabetes in Sleeve Gastrectomy.

Purpose: The aim was to investigate the impact of the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in sleeve gastrectomy (SG).

Methods: 15 obese patients were enrolled in this study ; mean body weight (BW) 127.5kg ; mean body mass index (BMI) 46.

Transanal lateral lymph node dissection with intraoperative hologram support in low rectal cancer.

Background: In Japan, the standard treatment for stage II/III advanced low rectal cancer is total mesorectal excision plus lateral lymph node dissection (LLND). There are also recent reports on the use of transanal LLND. However, the transanal anatomy is difficult to understand, and additional support tools are required to improve the surgical safety.

Stapler insertion angle toward the esophagus reduces the incidence of early postoperative Roux stasis syndrome after distal gastrectomy in minimally invasive surgery.

Background: Roux stasis syndrome (RSS) after Roux-en-Y (RY) reconstruction significantly prolongs the hospital stay and decreases the quality of life. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the incidence of RSS in patients who underwent distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer and to identify the factors related to the development of RSS after mechanical RY reconstruction in minimally invasive surgery (MIS).

Methods: This study included 134 patients who underwent distal gastrectomy in MIS with mechanical RY anastomosis.

Curcumin-Mediated Resistance to Lenvatinib via EGFR Signaling Pathway in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Lenvatinib is a multi-kinase inhibitor approved as a first-line treatment for patients with unresectable advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, its response rate is unsatisfactory, primarily due to the acquisition of resistance, which limits its clinical significance for treating patients with HCC. Recent evidence suggests that epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) activation can trigger Lenvatinib-resistance; and is considered an important therapeutic target in HCC.

Effect of duodenal-jejunal bypass on diabetes in the early postoperative period.

Metabolic surgery is an effective treatment for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of duodenal-jejunal bypass (DJB) in a rat model of T2DM during the early postoperative period. A rat model of non-obese T2DM was allocated to two groups: a sham group and a DJB group.