Bowel function, quality of life, and mental health of patients with high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia or T1 colorectal cancer after organ-preserving versus organ-resection surgeries: a cross-sectional study at a Chinese tertiary care center.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to determine the postoperative intestinal functioning, quality of life (QoL), and psychological well-being of patients treated either with organ-preserving surgery (OPS) or organ-resection surgery (ORS) for high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (HIN) or T1 colorectal cancer (CRC). METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted at a single tertiary care center. In total, 175 eligible individuals with T1 CRC or HIN were divided into the OPS (n = 103) or ORS (n = 72) group based on whether the relevant segment of the intestine was preserved or resected. Intestinal function was evaluated using low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) scores. QoL was evaluated using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC-QLQ)-C30 and EORTC-QLQ-CR29. Psychological status was evaluated using the Fear of Progression Questionnaire-Short Form and the Self-rating Anxiety and Depression scales. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to minimize the influence of potential confounders. RESULTS: Overall, 130 of 175 patients (74.29%) responded to the questionnaires; 56 and 74 were in the ORS and OPS groups, respectively. Thirty-five patient pairs were successfully matched through PSM. The mild and severe LARS rates were significantly higher in the ORS group than in the OPS group (P < 0.001). The EORTC-QLQ-C30 and EORTC-QLQ-CR29 scores revealed significantly better physical, role, and emotional functioning and an overall improved state of health (with multiple reduced symptom scores) in the OPS group than in the ORS group (P < 0.05). Significantly more patients were depressed in the ORS group than in the OPS group (P = 0.034), whereas anxiety or fear of disease progression did not differ significantly between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: OPS for the treatment of HIN or T1 CRC was found to be more advantageous for patients in terms of improved intestinal function, QoL, and psychological status than was ORS.

A new, simplified endoscopic scoring system for predicting clinical outcome in gastric low-grade intraepithelial neoplasia: the "e-cout system".

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The clinical outcomes of gastric low-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (LGIN) exhibit significant diversity, and the current reliance on endoscopic biopsy for diagnosis poses limitations in devising appropriate treatment strategies for this disease. This study aims to establish a prognostic prediction scoring system (e-Cout system) for gastric LGIN, offering a theoretical foundation for solving this clinical challenge. METHODS: Retrospectively selecting 1013 cases meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria from over 300,000 cases of upper gastrointestinal endoscopy performed at the Digestive Endoscopy Center of our hospital between 2000 and 2022, the cohort included 484 cases as development cohort and 529 cases for validation. Employing relevant statistical analysis, we used development cohort data to establish the e-Cout system for gastric LGIN, and further used validation cohort data to for internal validation. RESULTS: In the developmental stage, based on accordant regression coefficients, we assigned point values to six risk factors for poor prognosis: 4 points for microvessel (MV) distortion, 3 points for MV thickening, 2 points for ulcer, and 1 point each for lesion size > 2cm, disease duration > 1 year, and hyperemia and redness on the lesion surface. Patients were then categorized into four risk levels: low risk (0-1 point), medium risk (2-3), high risk (4-6), and very high risk (≥7). During the validation stage, significant differences in the three different outcomes of gastric LGIN were observed across all risk levels. The probability of reversal and progression showed a significant decrease and increase, respectively, with escalating of risk levels, and these differences were statistically significant (P< 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The proposed e-Cout system holds promise in aiding clinicians to predict the probability and risk levels of different clinical outcomes in patients with gastric LGIN. This system is expected to provide an improved foundation and guidance for the selection of clinical strategies for this disease.

Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Comprehensive Review.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), as a global disease, has attracted much research interest. Constant research has led to a better understanding of the disease condition and further promoted its management. We here reviewed the conventional and the novel drugs and therapies, as well as the potential ones, which have shown promise in preclinical studies and are likely to be effective future therapies. The conventional treatments aim at controlling symptoms through pharmacotherapy, including aminosalicylates, corticosteroids, immunomodulators, and biologics, with other general measures and/or surgical resection if necessary. However, a considerable fraction of patients do not respond to available treatments or lose response, which calls for new therapeutic strategies. Diverse therapeutic options are emerging, involving small molecules, apheresis therapy, improved intestinal microecology, cell therapy, and exosome therapy. In addition, patient education partly upgrades the efficacy of IBD treatment. Recent advances in the management of IBD have led to a paradigm shift in the treatment goals, from targeting symptom-free daily life to shooting for mucosal healing. In this review, the latest progress in IBD treatment is summarized to understand the advantages, pitfalls, and research prospects of different drugs and therapies and to provide a basis for the clinical decision and further research of IBD.