Dissimilar survival and clinicopathological characteristics of mucinous adenocarcinoma located in pancreatic head and body/tail

BACKGROUND Growing evidence shows that pancreatic tumors in different anatomical locations have different characteristics,which have a significant impact on prognosis.However,no study has reported the differences between pancreatic mucinous adenocarcinoma(PMAC)in the head vs the body/tail of the pancreas.AIM To investigate the differences in survival and clinicopathological characteristics between PMAC in the head and body/tail of pancreas.METHODS A total of 2058 PMAC patients from the Surveillance,Epidemiology,and End Results database diagnosed between 1992 and 2017 were retrospectively reviewed.We divided the patients who met the inclusion criteria into pancreatic head group(PHG)and pancreatic body/tail group(PBTG).The relationship between two groups and risk of invasive factors was identified using logistic regression analysis.Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression analysis were conducted to compare the overall survival(OS)and cancer-specific survival(CSS)of two patient groups.RESULTS In total,271 PMAC patients were included in the study.The 1-year,3-year,and 5-year OS rates of these patients were 51.6%,23.5%,and 13.6%,respectively.The 1-year,3-year,and 5-year CSS rates were 53.2%,26.2%,and 17.4%,respectively.The median OS of PHG patients was longer than that of PBTG patients(18 vs 7.5 mo,P<0.001).Compared to PHG patients,PBTG patients had a greater risk of metastases[odds ratio(OR)=2.747,95%confidence interval(CI):1.628-4.636,P<0.001]and higher staging(OR=3.204,95%CI:1.895-5.415,P<0.001).Survival analysis revealed that age<65 years,male sex,low grade(G1-G2),low stage,systemic therapy,and PMAC located at the pancreatic head led to longer OS and CSS(all P<0.05).The location of PMAC was an independent prognostic factor for CSS[hazard ratio(HR)=0.7,95%CI:0.52-0.94,P=0.017].Further analysis demonstrated that OS and CSS of PHG were significantly better than PBTG in advanced stage(stage III-IV).CONCLUSION Compared to the pancreatic body/tail,PMAC located in the pancreatic head has better survival and favorable clinicopathological characteristics.

AGE AND SITES-SPECIFIC PREVALENCE RATES OF PRECANCEROUS GASTRIC LESIONS AT A HIGH-RISK POPULATION OF STOMACH CANCER

A population-based screening for stomach cancer (SC) and its precancerous lesions was conducted in Linqu County, Shandong, China, one of the highest SC rates found in China and the world. An analysis of precancerous stomach lesions revealed that chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) was a universal common among people aged 35-64 (96-98%). For 52% and 20% of the residents in this age group had Intestinal metaplasia (IM) or dysplssia (DYS). These more advanced lesions were more pronounced in the antrum for both males and females. Age-specific prevalence rates in different anatomic locations sshowed that CAG, developed in the antrum, particularly along the lesser curvature earter than other sites and spread to fundus. IM and DYS accrued under the background of CAG with a leading time in the antrum than the other part of the stomach. Although CAG, IM and DYS prevalence rates were higher in the antrum than In the fundus, the prevalence rates showed a similar smoothly slope, a result of accumulated somatic geneticdamage, suggesting a similar biological response to the stimulation of initiator of carcinogenesis, promoter leading to progression to SC.

Do you have what it takes for challenging endoscopic submucosal dissection cases?

Endoscopic submucosal dissection(ESD) is a widely accepted treatment for early gastric cancer(EGC),especially in Korea and Japan.The criteria for the therapeutic use of ESD for EGC have been expanded recently.However,attention should be drawn to the technical feasibility of the ESD treatment which depends on a lesion's location,size or fibrosis level,or operator's experience.In the case of a lesion with a high level of difficulty,a more experienced operator is required.Thus,the treatment for a lesion with a high level of difficulty should be performed according to the degree of the operator's experience.In this paper,the authors describe the ESD procedure for lesions with a high level of difficulty.

Precision interventional radiology

The recent interest in precision medicine among interventionists has led to the establishment of the concept of precision interventional radiology(PIR).This concept focuses not only on the accuracy of interventional operations using traditional image-guided techniques,but also on the comprehensive evaluation of diseases.The invisible features extracted from CT,MRI,or US improve the accuracy and specificity of diagnosis.The integration of multi-omics and molecule imaging provides more information for interventional operations.The development and application of drugs,embolic materials,and devices broaden the concept of PIR.Integrating medicine and engineering brings new image-guided techniques that increase the efficacy of interventional operations while reducing the complications of interventional treatment.In all,PIR,an important part of precision medicine,emphasizing the whole disease management process,including precision diagnosis,comprehensive evaluation,and interventional therapy,maximizes the benefits of patients with limited damage.

Curvature range measurements of the arcuate fasciculus using diffusion tensor tractography

Because Broca＇s area and Wernicke＇s area in the brain are connected by the arcuate fasciculus, understanding the anatomical location and morphometry of the arcuate fasciculus can help in the treatment of patients with aphasia. We measured the horizontal and vertical curvature ranges of the arcuate fasciculus in both hemispheres in 12 healthy subjects using diffusion tensor tractography. In the right hemisphere, the direct curvature range and indirect curvature range values of the arcuate fasciculus horizontal part were 121.13 ± 5.89 and 25.99 ± 3.01 degrees, respectively, and in the left hemisphere, the values were 121.83 ± 5.33 and 27.40 ± 2.96 degrees, respectively. In the right hemisphere, the direct curvature range and indirect curvature range values of the arcuate fasciculus vertical part were 43.97 ± 7.98 and 30.15 ± 3.82 degrees, respectively, and in the left hemisphere, the values were 39.39 ± 4.42 and 24.08 ± 4.34 degrees, respectively. We believe that the measured curvature ranges are important data for localization and quantitative assessment of specific neuronal pathways in patients presenting with arcuate fasciculus abnormalities.