Background: Despite recent medical advances, surgery remains the mainstay treatment in colon cancer. It is well established that better patient outcomes are achieved when complex surgery including pancreatic, oesophageal and rectal surgeries are carried out in high-volume centres. However, it is unclear as to whether or not colon cancer patients receive the same benefit. Lymph node adequacy is a key performance indicator of successful oncological colonic resection which impacts on patient outcome.
Aim: To assess the adequacy of lymph node clearance during colonic resection performed with curative intent in a non-specialist centre post introduction of the National Cancer Strategy.
Methods: Retrospective analysis was performed of a prospectively maintained database examining the lymph node clearance of all oncological resections for colon cancer over a 7-year period (Nov 2010-Dec 2017) at a satellite unit with links to a regional specialist centre. Primary outcome measured was the number of lymph nodes retrieved. Secondary outcomes included resection margins, 30-day complication rate and survival at 1 year. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 24.0 (IBM Corp, Armonk, N.Y., USA).
Results: One hundred sixty-seven patients were included. Mean age was 71.0 ± 11.6 years. Majority were male (n = 90, 53.6%). The majority of resections was right sided (n = 112.66.7%) with 78.6% of all resections being undertaken electively. All margins were free of tumour. The average lymph node count was 19.93 ± 8.63 (4.62) with only 17 (10.2%) of specimens containing < 12 nodes. The anastomotic leak rate was 3.3%. There was no association between surgeon or pathologist volume, nor emergent status and achieving oncological lymph node count (p = 0.14, 0.29, 0.97). 90.5% of patients were alive at 1 year.
Conclusions: This study demonstrates that colonic cancer surgery can be safely performed in a non- specialist centre with technical outcomes comparable to nationally reported figures.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11845-019-02044-1 | DOI Listing |
World J Gastrointest Endosc
January 2025
Department of Frontier Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba 260-8670, Japan.
Background: Early anal canal cancer is frequently treated with endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) to preserve anal function. However, if the lesion is in the anal canal, then significant difficulties such as bleeding and challenges associated with scope manipulation can arise.
Case Summary: A 70-year-old woman undergoing follow-up after transverse colon cancer surgery was diagnosed with anal canal cancer extending to the dentate line.
Front Immunol
January 2025
Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Introduction: The gut microbiota plays a pivotal role in influencing host health, through the production of metabolites and other key signalling molecules. While the impact of specific metabolites or taxa on host cells is well-documented, the broader impact of a disrupted microbiota on immune homeostasis is less understood, which is particularly important in the context of the increasing overuse of antibiotics.
Methods: Female C57BL/6 mice were gavaged twice daily for four weeks with Vancomycin, Polymyxin B, or PBS (control).
Front Immunol
January 2025
Department of Respiratory Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.
Background: Thoracic SMARCA4-deficient undifferentiated tumors (SMARCA4-UT) exhibit a notably aggressive phenotype, which is associated with poor patient survival outcomes. These tumors are generally resistant to conventional cytotoxic chemotherapy, thereby limiting the availability of effective treatment options.
Case Presentation: We describe a 69-year-old AIDS patient who initially presented with a fused, enlarged lymph node on the right clavicle and mild, unexplained pain under the right axilla that worsened with severe coughing episodes.
Front Immunol
January 2025
Section of Immunology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Background: Maintenance immunosuppression is required for suppression of alloimmunity or allograft rejection. However, continuous use of immunosuppressants may lead to various side effects, necessitating the use of alternative immunosuppressive drugs. The early secreted antigenic target of 6 kDa (ESAT-6) is a virulence factor and immunoregulatory protein of mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), which alters host immunity through dually regulating development or activation of various immune cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Immunol
January 2025
Department of Otolaryngology, Changhai Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China.
Background: There is no consensus regarding the optimal regimen for metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (dmNPC). Locoregional intensity modulated radiotherapy (LRRT) following palliative chemotherapy (PCT) has been shown to prolong the overall survival (OS) and improve the progression-free survival (PFS) of patients with dmNPC, compared with PCT alone. However, patients with a high tumor burden do not benefit from additional LRRT, which inevitably results in toxicity.
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