Continuing episodes of pain in recurrent acute pancreatitis: Prospective follow up on a standardised protocol with drugs and pancreatic endotherapy

AIM To assess the outcomes of drug therapy(DT)followed by pancreatic endotherapy for continuing painful episodes in recurrent acute pancreatitis.METHODS DT comprised of pancreatic enzymes and antioxidants failing which,endotherapy(ET;pancreatic sphincterotomy and stent placement)was done.The frequency of pain,its visual analogue score(VAS),quality of life(Qo L),serum C peptide and faecal elastase were compared between baseline and after 1 year of follow up in all patients and in the two subgroups on DT and ET.Response was defined as at least 50%reduction in the severity of pain to below a score of 5.RESULTS Of the thirty nine patients analysed,21(53.9%)responded to DT and 18(46.1%)underwent ET.The VAS for pain(7.0±2.0 vs 1.3±2.5,P<0.001)and the number of days with pain per month decreased[1.0(1.0,2.0)vs 1.0(0.0,1.0),P<0.001],and the Qo L scores[55.0(44.0,66.0)vs 38.0(32.00,51.00),P<0.01]improved significantly during follow up.Similar significant improvements were seen in patients in the subgroups of DT and ET except for Qo L in ET.The serum C-peptide(P=0.001)and FE(P<0.001)levels improved significantly in the entire group and in the two subgroups of patients except for the C peptide levels in patients on DT.CONCLUSION A standardised protocol of DT,followed by ET decreased the intensity and frequency of pain in recurrent acute pancreatitis,enhanced Qo L and improved pancreatic function.

Immune therapies in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: Where are we now?

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma(PDAC)is one of the deadliest cancers,mostly due to its resistance to treatment.Of these,checkpoint inhibitors(CPI)are inefficient when used as monotherapy,except in the case of a rare subset of tumors harboring microsatellite instability(<2%).This inefficacy mainly resides in the low immunogenicity and non-inflamed phenotype of PDAC.The abundant stroma generates a hypoxic microenvironment and drives the recruitment of immunosuppressive cells through cancerassociated-fibroblast activation and transforming growth factorβsecretion.Several strategies have recently been developed to overcome this immunosuppressive microenvironment.Combination therapies involving CPI aim at increasing tumor immunogenicity and promoting the recruitment and activation of effector T cells.Ongoing studies are therefore exploring the association of CPI with vaccines,oncolytic viruses,MEK inhibitors,cytokine inhibitors,and hypoxia-and stroma-targeting agents.Adoptive T-cell transfer is also under investigation.Moreover,translational studies on tumor tissue and blood,prior to and during treatment may lead to the identification of biomarkers with predictive value for both clinical outcome and response to immunotherapy.

Effects of Taxotere on invasive potential and multidrug resistance phenotype in pancreatic carcinoma cell line SUIT-2

INTRODUCTIONDevelopment of drug-resistance to chemotherapyand subsequent metastasis of tumor are primarilyresponsible for treatment failure and the death fromcancer. There have been many previous studies onthe relationship between expression of multidrugresistance (MDR) phenotype P-glycoprotein (P-gp)and the malignant properties of tumors, but theresults are often conflicting[1-8]. The difference intumor types or MDR phenotype induced by specificagents might account for this discrepancy. Taxotere(TXT), a member of the family of taxanes, hasantitumor activity through its effect of promotingthe polymerization of tubulin[9,10].

Adjuvant therapy in pancreatic cancer

The outlook for patients with pancreatic cancer has been grim. There have been major advances in the surgical treatment of pancreatic cancer, leading to a dramatic reduction in post-operative mortality from the development of high volume specialized centres. This stimulated the study of adjuvant and neoadjuvant treatments in pancreatic cancer including chemoradiotherapy and chemotherapy. Initial protocols have been based on the original but rather small GITSG study first reported in 1985. There have been two large European trials totalling over 600 patients (EORTC and ESPAC-1) that do not support the use of chemoradiation as adjuvant therapy. A second major finding from the ESPAC-1 trial (541 patients randomized) was some but not conclusive evidence for a survival benefit associated with chemotherapy. A third major finding from the ESPAC-1 trial was that the quality of life was not affected by the use of adjuvant treatments compared to surgery alone. The ESPAC-3 trial aims to assess the definitive use of adjuvant chemotherapy in a randomized controlled trial of 990 patients.

Discussion on gemcitabine combined with targeted drugs in the treatment of pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer is a malignant tumor with poor prognosis.The treatment of pancreatic cancer depends on the tumor stage and type,and includes local treatment(surgery,radiotherapy and ablation intervention)and systemic therapy(chemotherapy,targeted therapy and immunotherapy).We read with great interest the review“Effective combinations of anti-cancer and targeted drugs for pancreatic cancer treatment”published on World J Gastroenterol and intended to share some of our perspectives in pancreatic cancer treatment.This review presents the therapeutic effects of the combination of gemcitabine and targeted drugs,which gives us a deeper insight into the combination treatments for pancreatic cancer.

Effective combinations of anti-cancer and targeted drugs for pancreatic cancer treatment

Pancreatic cancer is highly aggressive and lethal.Due to the lack of effective methods for detecting the disease at an early stage,pancreatic cancer is frequently diagnosed late.Gemcitabine has been the standard chemotherapy drug for patients with pancreatic cancer for over 20 years,but its anti-tumor effect is limited.Therefore,FOLFIRINOX(leucovorin,fluorouracil,irinotecan,oxaliplatin)as well as combination therapies using gemcitabine and conventional agents,such as cisplatin and capecitabine,has also been administered;however,these have not resulted in complete remission.Therefore,there is a need to develop novel and effective therapies for pancreatic cancer.Recently,some studies have reported that combinations of gemcitabine and targeted drugs have had significant antitumor effects on pancreatic cancer cells.As gemcitabine induced DNA damage response,the proteins related to DNA damage response can be suitable additional targets for novel gemcitabine-based combination therapy.Furthermore,KRAS/RAF/MEK/ERK signaling triggered by oncogenic mutated KRAS and autophagy are frequently activated in pancreatic cancer.Therefore,these characteristics of pancreatic cancer are potential targets for developing effective novel therapies.In this minireview,combinations of gemcitabine and targeted drugs to these characteristics,combinations of targeted drugs,combinations of natural products and anti-cancer agents,including gemcitabine,and combinations among natural products are discussed.

The effect of adenovirus expressing wild-type p53 on 5-fluorouracil chemosensitivity is related to p53 status in pancreatic cancer cell lines

AIM:There are conflicting data about p53 function on cellular sensitivity to the cytotoxic action of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). Therefore the objective of this study was to determine the combined effects of adenovirus-mediated wild-type (wt) p53 gene transfer and 5-FU chemotherapy on pancreatic cancer cells with different p53 gene status. METHODS:Human pancreatic cancer cell lines Capan-1^(p53mut), Capan-2^(p53wt),FAMPAC^(p53mut),PANC1^(p53mut),and rat pancreatic cancer cell lines AS^(p53wt) and DSL6A^(p53null) were used for in vitro studies.Following infection with different ratios of Ad- p53-particles (MOI) in combination with 5-FU,proliferation of tumor cells and apoptosis were quantified by cell proliferation assay (WST-1) and FACS (PI-staining).In addition,DSL6A syngeneic pancreatic tumor cells were inoculated subcutaneously in to Lewis rats for in vivo studies. Tumor size,apoptosis (TUNEL) and survival were determined. RESULTS:Ad-p53 gene transfer combined with 5-FU significantly inhibited tumor cell proliferation and substantially enhanced apoptosis in all four cell lines with an alteration in the p53 gene compared to those two cell lines containing wt-p53.In vivo experiments showed the most effective tumor regression in animals treated with Ad-p53 plus 5-FU.Both in vitro and in vivo analyses revealed that a sublethal dose of Ad-p53 augmented the apoptotic response induced by 5-FU. CONCLUSION:Our results suggest that Ad-p53 may synergistically enhance 5-FU-chemosensitivity most strikingly in pancreatic cancer cells lacking p53 function.These findings illustrate that the anticancer efficacy of this combination treatment is dependent on the p53 gene status of the target tumor cells.

Therapy of acute severe pancreatitis awaits further improvement

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Targeting KRAS in pancreatic adenocarcinoma:Progress in demystifying the holy grail

Pancreatic cancer(PC)remains one of the most challenging diseases,with a very poor 5-year overall survival of around 11.5%.Kirsten rat sarcoma virus(KRAS)mutation is seen in 90%-95%of PC patients and plays an important role in cancer cell proliferation,differentiation,metabolism,and survival,making it an essential mutation for targeted therapy.Despite extensive efforts in studying this oncogene,there has been little success in finding a drug to target this pathway,labelling it for decades as“undruggable”.In this article we summarize some of the efforts made to target the KRAS pathway in PC,discuss the challenges,and shed light on promising clinical trials.

Extravascular use of drug-eluting beads: A promising approach in compartment-based tumor therapy

Intraperitoneal carcinomatosis(PC)may occur with several tumor entities.The prognosis of patients suffering from PC is usually poor.Present treatment depends on the cancer entity and includes systemic chemotherapy,radiation therapy,hormonal therapy and surgical resection.Only few patients may also benefit from hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy with a complete tumor remission.These therapies are often accompanied by severe systemic side-effects.One approach to reduce side effects is to target chemotherapeutic agents to the tumor with carrier devices.Promising experimental results have been achieved using drug-eluting beads(DEBs).A series of in vitro and in vitro experiments has been conducted to determine the suitability of their extravascular use.These encapsulation devices were able to harbor CYP2B1producing cells and to shield them from the hosts immune system when injected intratumorally.In this way ifosfamide-which is transformed into its active metabolites by CYP2B1-could be successfully targeted into pancreatic tumor growths.Furthermore DEBs can be used to target chemotherapeutics into the abdominal cavity for treatment of PC.If CYP2B1 producing cells are proven to be save for usage in man and if local toxic effects of chemotherapeutics can be controlled,DEBs will become promising tools in compartmentbased anticancer treatment.

Management of necrotizing pancreatitis

Infection complicating pancreatic necrosis leads to persisting sepsis, multiple organ dysfunction syndrome and accounts for about half the deaths that occur following acute pancreatitis. Severe cases due to gallstones require urgent endoscopic sphincterotomy. Patients with pancreatic necrosis should be followed with serial contrast enhanced computed tomography (CE-CT) and if infection is suspected fine needle aspiration of the necrotic area for bacteriology (FNAB) should be undertaken. Treatment of sterile necrosis should initially be non-operative. In the presence of infection necrosectomy is indicated. Although traditionally this has been by open surgery, minimally invasive procedures are a promising new alternative. There are many unresolved issues in the management of pancreatic necrosis. These include, the use of antibiotic prophylaxis, the precise indications for and frequency of repeat CE-CT and FNAB,and the role of enteral feeding.

胰腺癌类器官模型的构建及其对化疗药物的敏感性试验

目的建立及鉴定患者来源的类器官模型,并利用该模型进行化疗药物敏感性检测。方法利用已确诊胰腺癌的2例女性患者的手术标本获取肿瘤组织消化后获取胰腺癌细胞,利用基质胶接种于培养皿中进行三维培养;制备石蜡切片并进行苏木精-伊红(HE)染色和免疫组化染色,通过与亲本肿瘤组织对比,检测其能否保留体内肿瘤的组织病理学特征;利用不同浓度的7种化疗药物处理胰腺癌类器官,使用Cell Titer-Glo®3D试剂测定细胞活力,分析药敏结果。结果成功建立了2例患者来源的胰腺癌类器官,HE染色和免疫组化染色结果显示胰腺癌类器官与其来源的患者肿瘤在组织病理学特征上一致;2例胰腺癌类器官均对吉西他滨单药、奥沙利铂与SN38+氟尿嘧啶联用更为敏感,患者1较患者2敏感性更高,来自不同患者的类器官对药物反应存在个体差异。结论本研究成功构建的胰腺癌类器官模型能够反映亲本胰腺肿瘤的组织学分型,并能够进行体外化疗药物敏感性试验,有望为患者临床用药提供参考。

Sustained co-delivery of gemcitabine and cis-platinum via biodegradable thermo-sensitive hydrogel for synergistic combination therapy of pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most devastating cancers with poor prognosis and no significant change in the survival rate over the past decades.Localized targeted drug delivery through interventional endoscopic ultrasonography-guided fine-needle injection (EUS-FNI) is an attractive and minimally invasive strategy for inoperable pancreatic cancer.An injectable in-situ formed long-lasting drug delivery system is a promising alternative for the localized treatment of pancreatic cancer via EUS-FNI.Here,a biodegradable thermo-sensitive copolymer hydrogel for the co-delivery of anticancer agents gemcitabine (GEM) and cis-platinum (DDP) was developed.This hydrogel is a free flowable liquid at room temperature that changes into a semi-solid hydrogel following injection in response to the physiological temperature.Both in vitro and in vivo drug release behaviors indicate sustained drug release of this delivery system.Synergistic cellular proliferation inhibition and desirable apoptosis promotion have been found when pancreatic cancer Bxpc-3 cells were co-cultured with this GEM-DDP/hydrogel system.After a single intratumoral injection,the dual-drug loaded hydrogel formulation exhibited superior anti-tumor efficacy and minimized systemic side effect on pancreatic cancer xenograft mouse model in comparison to the intravenously injected free GEM and DDP combination.In addition,a strong synergistic therapeutic effect of the GEM-DDP/hydrogel system against pancreatic cancer has been found in vitro and in vivo compared to the single-drug loaded hydrogel composites.The obtained findings suggest this developed thermo-sensitive copolymer hydrogel system as a potential universal carrier for the localized targeted delivery of multi-drugs,for use in a variety of inoperable solid tumors.

胰腺脂肪沉积的研究进展

近年来,肥胖症的患病率逐年增加,成为全球严重的公共卫生问题。先前的研究表明胰腺脂肪沉积这一现象在肥胖患者中较多见。目前研究发现胰腺脂肪堆积与肥胖密切相关的疾病有关,如非酒精性脂肪性肝病和代谢综合征、2型糖尿病、心血管疾病等,但其相关机制尚未完全明确。因此,需要进一步的研究来明确这种病理状态的临床后果、危险因素及发生机制,并发现有效的干预措施。笔者总结了胰腺脂肪堆积的临床关联、相关机制、诊断方法以及解决胰腺脂肪堆积的潜在治疗方法。

Membrane-camouflaged supramolecular nanoparticles for co-delivery of chemotherapeutic and molecular-targeted drugs with siRNA against patient-derived pancreatic carcinoma

Pancreatic cancer remains one of the most lethal malignancies worldwide. The combination of the first-line standard agent gemcitabine(GEM) with the molecular-targeted drug erlotinib(Er) has emerged as a promising strategy for pancreatic cancer treatment. However, the clinical benefit from this combination is still far from satisfactory due to the unfavorable drug antagonism and the fibrotic tumor microenvironment. Herein, we propose a membrane-camouflaged dual stimuliresponsive delivery system for the co-delivery of GEM and Er into pancreatic cancer cells and tissues to block the antagonism, as well as reshapes profibrotic tumor microenvironment via simultaneous delivery of small interference RNA(siRNA) for synergistic pancreatic cancer treatment. This “all-in-one”delivery system exhibits sensitive GSH and pH-dependent drug release profiles and enhances the inhibitory effects on the proliferation and migration of tumor cells in vitro. Excitingly, the systemic injection of such a biomimetic drug co-delivery system not only resulted in superior inhibitory effects against orthotopic pancreatic tumor and patient-derived tumor(PDX), but also greatly extended the survival rate of tumor-bearing mice. Our findings provide a promising therapeutic strategy against pancreatic cancer through the enhanced synergistic effect of target therapy, chemotherapy and anti-fibrotic therapy, which represents an appealing way for pancreatic cancer treatment.

短期腹腔灌洗对重症急性胰腺炎的治疗价值

背景:重症急性胰腺炎(SAP)是一种病情凶险、并发症多、死亡率高的急腹症,早期腹腔灌洗可清除渗出的炎性细胞因子等,提高SAP的治愈率。目的:观察短期腹腔灌洗对SAP的疗效。方法:选取57例SAP患者,其中26例伴有明显腹膜刺激征或穿刺腹腔有渗液的患者行腹腔灌洗,31例未行腹腔灌洗者作为对照组。腹腔灌洗在起病3天内进行,并持续约3～7天。对SAP患者腹腔灌洗前后的APACHE鄄Ⅱ积分、血清C反应蛋白(CRP)水平进行比较,并评估并发症发生和临床指标改善情况。结果:SAP患者行腹腔灌洗后,APACHE鄄Ⅱ积分由14.4±6.5降至8.1±2.4(P<0.01),血清CRP水平由272.4mg/L±51.6mg/L降至65.3mg/L±11.5mg/L(P<0.01),且较对照组基础治疗后下降更为显著(P<0.05和P<0.01)。腹腔灌洗组患者的腹痛缓解时间亦较对照组显著缩短(1.1天±0.5天对3.2天±1.4天,P<0.05)。结论:短期腹腔灌洗能明显改善SAP患者的一般情况和炎症反应,改善患者的预后,值得在临床上推广应用。

活血清解汤早期干预对重症急性胰腺炎患者血液流变学及D二聚体、血栓素A_2、前列环素I_2的影响

目的探讨活血清解汤对重症急性胰腺炎(SAP)患者血液流变学及血栓素A_2(TXA_2)、前列环素I_2(PGI_2)的影响。方法收集2013年1月^(-1)2月于上海中医药大学附属岳阳中西医结合医院住院的SAP患者50例,随机分为治疗组与对照组,2组均采取对症支持治疗,治疗组在此基础上经螺旋型鼻肠管给予活血清解汤2次/d,治疗1周。治疗前及治疗第7天进行血淀粉酶、血液流变学、D二聚体、TXA_2和PGI_2水平检测。计量资料2组间比较采用配对t检验,计数资料组间比较采用χ~2检验。结果与对照组相比,治疗组在治疗第7天的总有效率明显升高(64%vs 88%;χ~2=3.947,P=0.047)。治疗组和对照组在治疗第7天时血清淀粉酶、血D二聚体、TXA_2和TXA_2/PGI_2水平均较治疗前降低(P值均<0.01),治疗组在治疗第7天较同期对照组更低(P<0.05或P<0.01)。而治疗组和对照组的PGI2水平在治疗第7天较治疗前升高(P值均<0.01),治疗组在治疗第7天较同期对照组更高(P值均<0.01)。治疗组和对照组在第7天时血液流变学的各项指标全血高、中、低黏度、血浆黏度、全血高切还原黏度、全血低切还原黏度、红细胞压积、红细胞刚性指数、红细胞聚集指数、血沉方程K值、红细胞变形指数、血沉等均较治疗前降低(P<0.05或P<0.01),治疗组在第7天时较同期对照组更低(P<0.05或P<0.01)。结论中药活血清解汤能改善血液流变学,控制D二聚体的升高,维持TXA2、PGI2之间的平衡,起到治疗SAP作用。

抑制X染色体连锁的凋亡抑制蛋白(XIAP)和Survivin表达对胰腺癌Panc-1细胞增殖及化疗敏感性的影响

目的:探讨同时抑制X染色体连锁的凋亡抑制蛋白(X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein,XIAP)和Sur-vivin表达,对胰腺癌Panc-1细胞增殖及吉西他滨(Gem)化疗敏感性的影响,并与单独抑制XIAP或Survivin表达的策略进行对比。方法:运用前期实验构建的XIAP-shRNA慢病毒(LV-X)和Survivin-shRNA慢病毒(LV-S),分别建立XIAP和/或Survivin表达稳定抑制的胰腺癌Panc-1细胞株,即Panc-1-X、Panc-1-S和Panc-1-XS。运用Real-timePCR和半定量Western blot分别检测XIAP和Survivin的mRNA和蛋白的表达情况,以细胞计数法及克隆形成实验检测细胞增殖能力,Caspase-3/7试剂盒及流式细胞仪检测细胞凋亡,MTT法检测细胞对Gem的化疗敏感性。结果:成功建立了XIAP和/或Survivin表达稳定抑制的胰腺癌细胞株Panc-1。XIAP和Survivin同时稳定抑制后,Panc-1的增殖能力显著受到抑制,Panc-1-XS组的克隆形成率为10.12%±1.33%,显著低于对照组Panc-1-XncSnc组(96.61%±7.89%)和Panc-1组(100.28%±8.97%,P<0.05)。用0.5 mg/L Gem处理24 h后,Panc-1-XS组的Caspase-3/7相对活性明显升高至15.02±0.57,显著高于Panc-1组与Panc-1-XncSnc组(分别为8.87±0.19和9.05±0.23,P<0.05);Panc-1-XS组的细胞凋亡率为24.09%±2.75%,显著高于对照组Panc-1-XncSnc及Panc-1组(分别为12.09%±1.97%和12.06%±1.22%,P<0.05)。Panc-1-XS组的IC50值为(0.47±0.04)mg/L,显著低于对照组Panc-1-XncSnc的(2.18±0.13)mg/L及Panc-1组的(2.13±0.18)mg/L(P<0.05),对Gem的化疗敏感性显著增强。进一步检测显示,Panc-1-XS组的IC50值为(0.47±0.04)mg/L,均显著低于Panc-1-X组的(0.76±0.07)mg/L和Panc-1-S组的(0.87±0.09)mg/L(P<0.05)。结论:同时稳定抑制胰腺癌细胞株Panc-1中XIAP和Survivin的表达,能显著抑制Panc-1细胞增殖能力,增强其Gem化疗敏感性,并明显优于XIAP或Survivin表达单独抑制的策略。

康莱特注射液合并健择对移植于裸鼠的人胰腺癌的疗效初步研究

目的:探讨康莱特注射液合并健择对移植于裸鼠的人胰腺癌的作用。方法:24只裸鼠皮下接种人胰腺癌细胞PANC-1,10d后随机分成4组,每组6只裸鼠。对照组给予生理盐水;康莱特组自接种第10天起连续给药10次,给药剂量为5·0g/kg,静脉推注;健择组在接种第12天给药1次,给药剂量为60mg/kg;合并给药组剂量及给药时间同单独给药组。停药后1周脱颈处死动物,解剖裸鼠,称体质量、瘤质量,测量肿块大小并计算抑瘤率。结果:单独注射康莱特及健择组的抑瘤率分别为12·24%和13·26%;合并用药组抑瘤率为40·11%,明显高于单独用药组。结论:康莱特注射液与健择对移植于裸鼠的人胰腺癌的抑制作用具有协同效应。

介入化疗结合立体适形放射治疗晚期胰腺癌的临床观察

探讨晚期胰腺癌的介入化疗加立体适形放射治疗的临床疗效。先选择性胰腺动脉化疗，药物：CF300mg、5-FU1000-1500mg、DDP60-80mg和健择1．2-2．0g，共4次。介入化疗后或两次介入之间行立体定向放射治疗，放疗采用4-6个适形野，总剂量为35-45Gy，4-8Gy／次，每周3次，21例患者CR率42．85％（9／21），PR率42．85％（9／21）。SD4．76％（1／21），PD9．52％（2／21），总有效率（CR＋PR）85．70％（18／21）。初步研究结果提示，主观指标评估，2例临床症状完全消失，17例主观症状有所改善。介入化疗结合立体放射治疗晚期胰腺癌不失为临床选用的治疗手段。