Resurgent Inflation and its Impact on Medicare Reimbursements for Outpatient Gastroenterology Procedures.

INTRODUCTION: Rising healthcare costs have led to decreasing reimbursements for various procedures and providers. We chose to analyze Medicare reimbursement trends for 26 esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) and 31 colonoscopy current procedural terminology (CPT) codes from 2018 to 2023 for hospital outpatient centers, ambulatory surgical centers and gastroenterologists. We also wanted to look at the effects of inflation on these Medicare reimbursements. METHODS: We calculated the nominal percentage change from 2018 to 2023 for each CPT code. We then took inflation data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and calculated the real change in reimbursements from 2018 to 2023 for each of the 31 colonoscopy and 26 EGD CPT codes. RESULTS: Our results show that while nominal reimbursements to physicians have been steadily declining for performing gastrointestinal procedures, nominal reimbursements to hospital outpatient and ambulatory surgical centers have been increasing from 2018 to 2023. After taking into account inflation, physicians saw significant decreases in real purchasing power for performing EGD and colonoscopies. Ambulatory surgical centers and hospital outpatient centers saw reimbursements keep up with inflation. DISCUSSION: Physician reimbursements by Medicare for gastroenterology procedures make up a small portion of the reimbursements by Medicare to facilities like ambulatory surgical centers and hospital outpatient centers. However physicians have seen significant reimbursement cuts while facilities have not. Moreover, higher inflation leads to increased expenses for gastroenterology practices. It remains to be seen how these reimbursement changes will affect patients access to care as well as physicians practice sustainability.

Acute pancreatitis precedes chronic pancreatitis in the majority of patients: Results from the NAPS2 consortium.

INTRODUCTION: The mechanistic definition of chronic pancreatitis (CP) identifies acute pancreatitis (AP) as a precursor stage. We hypothesized that clinical AP frequently precedes the diagnosis of CP and is associated with patient- and disease-related factors. We describe the prevalence, temporal relationship and associations of AP in a well-defined North American cohort. METHODS: We evaluated data from 883 patients with CP prospectively enrolled in the North American Pancreatitis Studies across 27 US centers between 2000 and 2014. We determined how often patients had one or more episodes of AP and its occurrence in relationship to the diagnosis of CP. We used multivariable logistic regression to determine associations for prior AP. RESULTS: There were 624/883 (70.7%) patients with prior AP, among whom 161 (25.8%) had AP within 2 years, 115 (18.4%) within 3-5 years, and 348 (55.8%) >5 years prior to CP diagnosis. Among 504 AP patients with available information, 436 (86.5%) had >1 episode. On multivariable analyses, factors associated with increased odds of having prior AP were a younger age at CP diagnosis, white race, abdominal pain, pseudocyst(s) and pancreatic duct dilatation/stricture, while factors associated with a lower odds of having prior AP were exocrine insufficiency and pancreatic atrophy. When compared with patients with 1 episode, those with >1 AP episode were diagnosed with CP an average of 5 years earlier. CONCLUSIONS: Nearly three-quarters of patients were diagnosed with AP prior to CP diagnosis. Identifying which AP patients are at-risk for future progression to CP may provide opportunities for primary and secondary prevention.

2021 National Survey on Prior Authorization Burden and Its Impact on Gastroenterology Practice.

INTRODUCTION: Prior authorizations (PAs) are intended to control prescription drug expenditures. METHODS: One hundred fifty-six physician and advanced practice provider members of the American College of Gastroenterology completed a national survey to assess PA burden and impact. RESULTS: One-half of PA requests relate to prescription refills. Greater than 50% of the respondents choose inferior treatments at least weekly because of perceived PA burden for preferred agents. One-half of the respondents reported a patient who experienced serious adverse events due to PA-related care delays. DISCUSSION: PA is an administrative burden that exhausts practice resources and may have a negative impact on patient care.

Pain Experience in Pancreatitis: Strong Association of Genetic Risk Loci for Anxiety and PTSD in Patients With Severe, Constant, and Constant-Severe Pain.

INTRODUCTION: Recurrent acute pancreatitis (RAP) and chronic pancreatitis (CP) are progressive inflammatory syndromes with variable features. Pain is the primary feature that contributes to low physical and mental quality of life with a third of patients reporting severe pain. Pain experience is worsened by depression. Here, we tested the hypothesis that genetic risk of the psychiatric conditions of anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with pain in CP and RAP + CP subjects. METHODS: The study cohort included phenotyped and genotyped RAP and CP patients from the North American Pancreatitis Study II of European Ancestry. Candidate genetic association studies were based on the absence of pain vs pain that is constant, constant-severe, or severe. Twenty-eight candidate genetic loci for anxiety and PTSD risk were identified in the literature and were the focus of this study. RESULTS: We identified 24 significant pain-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms within 13 loci across the 3 pain patterns in CP and RAP + CP (P < 0.002). Thirteen anxiety or PTSD genes were within these pain loci indicating nonrandom associations (P < 4.885 × 10-23). CTNND2 was associated with all pain categories and all pancreatitis etiologies. Implicated systems include neuronal signaling (HTR2A, DRD3, NPY, and BDNF), hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (NR3C1 and FKBP5), and cell-cell interaction (CTNND2 and THBS2). DISCUSSION: A component of constant and severe pain in patients with RAP and CP is associated with genetic predisposition to anxiety and PTSD. Identification of patients at risk eligible for trials of targeted treatment as a component of a multidisciplinary pain management strategy should be formally evaluated.

Differences in Age at Onset of Symptoms, and Effects of Genetic Variants, in Patients With Early vs Late-Onset Idiopathic Chronic Pancreatitis in a North American Cohort.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Idiopathic chronic pancreatitis (ICP) is the second most common subtype of CP. In 1994, researchers reported the bimodal age at onset of ICP symptoms: early onset ICP (EO-ICP; median age, 19.2 y) and late-onset ICP (LO-ICP; median age, 56.2 y). Ages of onset and clinical features of ICP differed from those of alcohol-related CP (ACP). However, variants in PRSS1 had not yet been associated with ICP. We reexamined ages of onset of ICP in a large, North American cohort of patients, and investigated the effects of genetic factors and alcohol use in patients with EO-ICP, LO-ICP, and ACP. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of patients with CP of European ancestry enrolled in the North American Pancreatitis Study 2, a prospective study of 1195 patients with CP from 26 centers in the United States from August 2000 through December 2014. We compared age at onset of symptoms for 130 patients with CP who were lifetime abstainers from alcohol (61 patients with early onset and 69 patients with late onset), 308 light to moderate alcohol drinkers with CP, and 225 patients with ACP and heavy to very heavy alcohol use. DNA from available patients was analyzed for variants associated with CP in SPINK1, CFTR, and CTRC. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare continuous variables across groups and based on genetic variants. RESULTS: Median ages at onset of symptoms were 20 years for patients with EO-ICP and no alcohol use, 58 years for patients with LO-ICP and no alcohol use, 47 years for light to moderate alcohol drinkers with CP, and 44 years for patients with ACP. A higher proportion of patients with EO-ICP had constant pain (65%) than patients with LO-ICP (31%) (P = .04). A higher proportion of patients with ACP had pseudocysts (43%) than patients with EO-ICP (11%) (P = .001). A higher proportion of patients with EO-ICP had pathogenic variants in SPINK1, CFTR, or CTRC (49%) than patients with LO-ICP (23%), light to moderate alcohol drinking with CP (26%), or ACP (23%) (P = .001). Among patients with variants in SPINK1, those with EO-ICP had onset of symptoms at a median age of 12 years, and light to moderate alcohol drinkers with CP had an age at onset of 24 years. Among patients with variants in CFTR, light to moderate alcohol drinkers had an age at onset of symptoms of 41 years, but this variant did not affect age at onset of EO-ICP or ACP. CONCLUSIONS: We confirmed previously reported ages at onset of symptoms for EO-ICP and LO-ICP in a North American cohort. We found differences in clinical features among patients with EO-ICP, LO-ICP, and ACP. Almost half of patients with EO-ICP have genetic variants associated with CP, compared with approximately one quarter of patients with LO-CP or ACP. Genetic variants affect ages at onset of symptoms in some groups.

Constant-severe pain in chronic pancreatitis is associated with genetic loci for major depression in the NAPS2 cohort.

BACKGROUND: Pain is the most debilitating symptom of recurrent acute pancreatitis (RAP) and chronic pancreatitis (CP) and often requires chronic opioids or total pancreatectomy with islet autotransplantation to manage. Pain is a complex experience that can be exacerbated by depression and vice versa. Our aim was to test the hypothesis that depression-associated genes are associated with a constant-severe pain experience in RAP/CP patients. STUDY: A retrospective study was done using North American Pancreatitis Study II (NAPS2) genotyped RAP and CP patients with completed case report forms (n = 1,357). Subjects were divided based on pattern of pain and pain severity as constant-severe pain (n = 787) versus not constant-severe pain (n = 570) to conduct a nested genome-wide association study. The association between reported antidepressant medication use and depression gene loci was tested. RESULTS: Constant-severe pain was reported in 58% (n = 787) of pancreatitis patients. No differences in sex or alcohol consumption were found based on pain severity. Antidepressant use was reported in 28% (n = 223), and they had lower SF-12 mental quality of life (MCS, p < 2.2 × 10- 16). Fifteen loci associated with constant-severe pain (p < 0.00001) were found to be in or near depression-associated genes including ROBO2, CTNND2, SGCZ, CNTN5 and BAIAP2. Three of these genes respond to antidepressant use (SGCZ, ROBO2, and CTNND2). CONCLUSION: Depression is a major co-factor in the pain experience. This genetic predisposition to depression may have utility in counseling patients and in instituting early antidepressant therapy for pain management of pancreatitis patients. Prospective randomized trials are warranted. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: Clinicaltriasl.gov.# NCT01545167.

Genetic Risk Score in Diabetes Associated With Chronic Pancreatitis Versus Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

INTRODUCTION: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a complication of chronic pancreatitis (CP). Whether pancreatogenic diabetes associated with CP-DM represents a discrete pathophysiologic entity from type 2 DM (T2DM) remains uncertain. Addressing this question is needed for development of specific measures to manage CP-DM. We approached this question from a unique standpoint, hypothesizing that if CP-DM and T2DM are separate disorders, they should be genetically distinct. To test this hypothesis, we sought to determine whether a genetic risk score (GRS) based on validated single nucleotide polymorphisms for T2DM could distinguish between groups with CP-DM and T2DM. METHODS: We used 60 T2DM single nucleotide polymorphisms to construct a weighted GRS in 1,613 subjects from the North American Pancreatitis Study 2 and 2,685 subjects from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, all of European origin. RESULTS: The mean GRS was identical between 321 subjects with CP-DM and 423 subjects with T2DM (66.53 vs 66.42, P = 0.95), and the GRS of both diabetic groups was significantly higher than that of nondiabetic controls (n = 3,554, P < 0.0001). Exploratory analyses attempting to enrich the CP-DM group for pancreatogenic diabetes, such as eliminating diabetes diagnosed before CP, requiring pancreas-specific comorbidities, or removing those with a family history of diabetes, did not improve the ability of the GRS to distinguish between CP-DM and T2DM. DISCUSSION: Recognizing that we lacked a gold standard to define CP-DM, our study suggests that CP-DM may be a subtype of T2DM, a notion that should be tested in future, large prospective studies.

Chronic Pancreatitis: Pediatric and Adult Cohorts Show Similarities in Disease Progress Despite Different Risk Factors.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to investigate the natural history of chronic pancreatitis (CP); patients in the North American Pancreatitis Study2 (NAPS2, adults) and INternational Study group of Pediatric Pancreatitis: In search for a cuRE (INSPPIRE, pediatric) were compared. METHODS: Demographics, risk factors, disease duration, management and outcomes of 224 children and 1063 adults were compared using appropriate statistical tests for categorical and continuous variables. RESULTS: Alcohol was a risk in 53% of adults and 1% of children (P < 0.0001); tobacco in 50% of adults and 7% of children (P < 0.0001). Obstructive factors were more common in children (29% vs 19% in adults, P = 0.001). Genetic risk factors were found more often in children. Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency was similar (children 26% vs adult 33%, P = 0.107). Diabetes was more common in adults than children (36% vs 4% respectively, P < 0.0001). Median emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and missed days of work/school were similar across the cohorts. As a secondary analysis, NAPS2 subjects with childhood onset (NAPS2-CO) were compared with INSPPIRE subjects. These 2 cohorts were more similar than the total INSPPIRE and NAPS2 cohorts, including for genetic risk factors. The only risk factor significantly more common in the NAPS2-CO cohort compared with the INSPPIRE cohort was alcohol (9% NAPS2-CO vs 1% INSPPIRE cohorts, P = 0.011). CONCLUSIONS: Despite disparity in age of onset, children and adults with CP exhibit similarity in demographics, CP treatment, and pain. Differences between groups in radiographic findings and diabetes prevalence may be related to differences in risk factors associated with disease and length of time of CP.

Increased awareness enhances physician recognition of the role of smoking in chronic pancreatitis.

BACKGROUND: We have previously reported that physicians under-recognize smoking as a chronic pancreatitis (CP) risk factor. We hypothesized that availability of empiric data will influence physician recognition of this relationship. METHODS: We analyzed data from 508 CP patients prospectively enrolled in the North American Pancreatitis Study-2 Continuation and Validation (NAPS2-CV) or NAPS2-Ancillary (AS) studies (2008-2014) from 26 US centers who self-reported ever-smoking. Information on smoking status, physician-defined etiology and identification of smoking as a CP risk factor was obtained from structured patient and physician questionnaires. We compared how often physician identified smoking as a CP risk factor in NAPS2-CV/NAPS2-AS studies with NAPS2-original study (2000-2006). RESULTS: Enrolling physician identified smoking as a risk factor in significantly (all p < 0.001) greater proportion of patients in NAPS2-CV/AS studies when compared with NAPS2-original study among ever (80.7 vs. 45.3%), current (91.3 vs. 53%), past (60.3 vs. 30.2%) smokers, in those who smoked ≤1 pack/day (79.3 vs. 39.5%) or ≥1 packs/day (83 vs. 49.8%). In multivariable analyses, the enrolling physician was 3.32-8.49 times more likely to cite smoking as a CP risk factor in the NAPS2-CV/NAPS2-AS studies based on smoking status and amount after controlling for age, sex, race and alcohol etiology. The effect was independent of enrolling site in a sub-analysis limited to sites participating in both phases of enrollment. CONCLUSIONS: Availability of empiric data likely enhanced physician recognition of the association between smoking and CP. Wide-spread dissemination of this information could potentially curtail smoking rates in subjects with and those at risk of CP.

Recurrent Acute Pancreatitis Significantly Reduces Quality of Life Even in the Absence of Overt Chronic Pancreatitis.

OBJECTIVES: The impact of recurrent acute pancreatitis (RAP) on quality of life (QOL) is unknown. We hypothesized that RAP would reduce QOL even in the absence of chronic pancreatitis (CP). METHODS: Data were pooled from three prospective, cross-sectional studies conducted across 27 U.S. centers (the North American Pancreatitis Studies); these included subjects with chronic pancreatitis (n = 1086), RAP alone (n = 508), and non-disease controls (n = 1025). QOL was measured using the Short Form 12 (SF-12), generating a Physical Component Summary (PCS) and the Mental Component Summary score (MCS). Multivariable regression models were developed to measure the effect of RAP on QOL, the predictors of lower QOL in those with RAP, and the differential effect QOL predictors between CP and RAP. RESULTS: Compared to controls (51.0 ± 9.4), subjects with RAP (41.1 ± 11.4) and CP (37.2 ± 11.8) had lower PCS (p < 0.01). Subjects with CP had lower PCS compared to those with RAP (p < 0.01). Similarly, MCS was lower among RAP (44.6 ± 11.5) and CP (42.8 ± 12.2) subjects compared to controls (51.7 ± 9.1, p < 0.01). Subjects with CP had lower MCS compared to those with RAP (p < 0.01). After controlling for independent predictors of PCS, RAP was associated with lower PCS (estimate -8.46, p < 0.01) and MCS (estimate -6.45, p < 0.0001) compared to controls. The effect of endocrine insufficiency on PCS was differentially greater among RAP subjects (-1.28 for CP vs. -4.9 for RAP, p = 0.0184). CONCLUSIONS: Even in the absence of CP, subjects with RAP have lower physical and mental QOL. This underscores the importance of identifying interventions to attenuate RAP before the development of overt CP.

Known genetic susceptibility factors for chronic pancreatitis in patients of European ancestry are rare in patients of African ancestry.

BACKGROUND: Multiple pathogenic genetic variants are associated with pancreatitis in patients of European (EA) and Asian ancestries, but studies on patients of African ancestry (AA) are lacking. We evaluated the prevalence of known genetic variations in African-American subjects in the US. METHODS: We studied prospectively enrolled controls (n = 238) and patients with chronic (CP) (n = 232) or recurrent acute pancreatitis (RAP) (n = 45) in the NAPS2 studies from 2000-2014 of self-identified AA. Demographic and phenotypic information was obtained from structured questionnaires. Ancestry and admixture were evaluated by principal component analysis (PCA). Genotyping was performed for pathogenic genetic variants in PRSS1, SPINK1, CFTR and CTRC. Prevalence of disease-associated variants in NAPS2 subjects of AA and EA was compared. RESULTS: When compared with CP subjects of EA (n = 862), prevalence of established pathogenic genetic variants was infrequent in AA patients with CP, overall (29 vs. 8.19%, OR 4.60, 95% CI 2.74-7.74, p < 0.001), and after stratification by alcohol etiology (p < 0.001). On PCA, AA cases were more heterogeneous but distinct from EA subjects; no difference was observed between AA subjects with and without CP-associated variants. Of 19 A A patients with CP who had pathogenic genetic variants, 2 had variants in PRSS1 (R122H, R122C), 4 in SPINK1 (all N34S heterozygotes), 12 in CFTR (2 CFTRsev, 9 CFTRBD, 1 compound heterozygote with CFTRsev and CFTRBD), and 1 in CTRC (R254W). CONCLUSION: Pathogenic genetic variants reported in EA patients are significantly less common in AA patients. Further studies are needed to determine the complex risk factors for AA subjects with pancreatitis.

Patient and Disease Characteristics Associated With the Presence of Diabetes Mellitus in Adults With Chronic Pancreatitis in the United States.

OBJECTIVES: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a common complication of chronic pancreatitis (CP). Past studies for DM risk factors in CP have been limited to single centers or highly focused on a single etiology such as alcoholic or hereditary disease. We studied risk factors for DM in a large population of patients with CP of all etiologies enrolled in the North American Pancreatitis 2 studies. METHODS: Participants (1,171) with CP (n=383 with DM, n=788 without DM) were enrolled prospectively from 26 participating centers. Questionnaires were completed by patients and physicians in a cross-sectional assessment. Patient demographics and disease characteristics were compared for CP with DM vs. without DM. Logistic regression was performed to assess the variables associated with DM diagnosis in a multivariable model. RESULTS: Diabetics were more likely to be black (P=0.02), overweight, or obese (P<0.001), and with a family history of DM (P=0.0005). CP patients with DM were more likely to have pancreatic calcifications (63% vs. 54%, P=0.002), atrophy (44% vs. 32%, P<0.0001), and prior pancreas surgery (26.9% vs. 16.9%, P<0.0001). In multivariate logistic regression modeling, the strongest risk factors for DM were obesity (odds ratio (OR) 2.8, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.9, 4.2) and exocrine insufficiency (OR 2.4, 95% CI 1.8, 3.2). CONCLUSIONS: In this large multicenter cohort of patients with CP, exocrine insufficiency, calcifications, and pancreas surgery conveyed higher odds of having DM. However, the traditional 'type 2 DM' risk factors of obesity and family history were similarly important in conveying risk for DM.

Quality of Life in Chronic Pancreatitis is Determined by Constant Pain, Disability/Unemployment, Current Smoking, and Associated Co-Morbidities.

OBJECTIVES: Chronic pancreatitis (CP) has a profound independent effect on quality of life (QOL). Our aim was to identify factors that impact the QOL in CP patients. METHODS: We used data on 1,024 CP patients enrolled in the three NAPS2 studies. Information on demographics, risk factors, co-morbidities, disease phenotype, and treatments was obtained from responses to structured questionnaires. Physical and mental component summary (PCS and MCS, respectively) scores generated using responses to the Short Form-12 (SF-12) survey were used to assess QOL at enrollment. Multivariable linear regression models determined independent predictors of QOL. RESULTS: Mean PCS and MCS scores were 36.7±11.7 and 42.4±12.2, respectively. Significant (P<0.05) negative impact on PCS scores in multivariable analyses was noted owing to constant mild-moderate pain with episodes of severe pain or constant severe pain (10 points), constant mild-moderate pain (5.2), pain-related disability/unemployment (5.1), current smoking (2.9 points), and medical co-morbidities. Significant (P<0.05) negative impact on MCS scores was related to constant pain irrespective of severity (6.8-6.9 points), current smoking (3.9 points), and pain-related disability/unemployment (2.4 points). In women, disability/unemployment resulted in an additional 3.7 point reduction in MCS score. Final multivariable models explained 27% and 18% of the variance in PCS and MCS scores, respectively. Etiology, disease duration, pancreatic morphology, diabetes, exocrine insufficiency, and prior endotherapy/pancreatic surgery had no significant independent effect on QOL. CONCLUSIONS: Constant pain, pain-related disability/unemployment, current smoking, and concurrent co-morbidities significantly affect the QOL in CP. Further research is needed to identify factors impacting QOL not explained by our analyses.

Racial Differences in the Clinical Profile, Causes, and Outcome of Chronic Pancreatitis.

OBJECTIVES: Racial differences in susceptibility and progression of pancreatitis have been reported in epidemiologic studies using administrative or retrospective data. There has been little study, however, on the clinical profile, causes, and outcome of chronic pancreatitis (CP) in black patients. METHODS: We analyzed data on black patients with CP prospectively enrolled in the multicenter North American Pancreatitis Studies from 26 US centers during the years 2000-2014. CP was defined by definitive evidence on imaging studies or histology. Information on demographics, etiology, risk factors, disease phenotype, treatment, and perceived effectiveness was obtained from responses to detailed questionnaires completed by both patients and physicians. RESULTS: Of the 1,159 patients enrolled, 248 (21%) were black. When compared with whites, blacks were significantly more likely to be male (60.9 vs. 53%), ever (88.2 vs. 71.8%), or current smokers (64.2 vs. 45.9%), or have a physician-defined alcohol etiology (77 vs. 41.9%). There was no overall difference in the duration of CP although for alcoholic CP, blacks had a longer duration of disease (8.6 vs. 6.97 years; P=0.02). Blacks were also significantly more likely to have advanced changes on pancreatic morphology (calcifications (63.3 vs. 55.2%), atrophy (43.2 vs. 34.6%), pancreatic ductal stricture or dilatation (72.6 vs. 65.5%) or common bile duct stricture (18.6 vs. 8.2%)) and function (endocrine insufficiency 39.9 vs. 30.2%). Moreover, the prevalence of any (94.7 vs. 83%), constant (62.6 vs. 51%), and severe (78.4 vs. 65.8%) pain and disability (35.1 vs. 21.4%) were significantly higher in blacks. Observed differences were in part related to variances in etiology and duration of disease. No differences in medical or endoscopic treatments were seen between races although prior cholecystectomy (31.1 vs. 19%) was more common in white patients. CONCLUSIONS: Differences were observed between blacks and whites in the underlying cause, morphologic expression, and pain characteristics of CP, which in part are explained by the underlying risk factor(s) with alcohol and tobacco being much more frequent in black patients as well as disease duration.

Mechanism, assessment and management of pain in chronic pancreatitis: Recommendations of a multidisciplinary study group.

DESCRIPTION: Pain in patients with chronic pancreatitis (CP) remains the primary clinical complaint and source of poor quality of life. However, clear guidance on evaluation and treatment is lacking. METHODS: Pancreatic Pain working groups reviewed information on pain mechanisms, clinical pain assessment and pain treatment in CP. Levels of evidence were assigned using the Oxford system, and consensus was based on GRADE. A consensus meeting was held during PancreasFest 2012 with substantial post-meeting discussion, debate, and manuscript refinement. RESULTS: Twelve discussion questions and proposed guidance statements were presented. Conference participates concluded: Disease Mechanism: Pain etiology is multifactorial, but data are lacking to effectively link symptoms with pathologic feature and molecular subtypes. Assessment of Pain: Pain should be assessed at each clinical visit, but evidence to support an optimal approach to assessing pain character, frequency and severity is lacking. MANAGEMENT: There was general agreement on the roles for endoscopic and surgical therapies, but less agreement on optimal patient selection for medical, psychological, endoscopic, surgical and other therapies. CONCLUSIONS: Progress is occurring in pain biology and treatment options, but pain in patients with CP remains a major problem that is inadequately understood, measured and managed. The growing body of information needs to be translated into more effective clinical care.