Short- and long-term outcomes of laparoscopic complete mesocolic excision for colon cancer in the elderly: A retrospective cohort study.

PURPOSE: Laparoscopic complete mesorectal excision (CME) can be used for the treatment of colon cancer. This study was designed to assess short-term and long-term outcomes of laparoscopic CME in elderly colon cancer patients. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed colon cancer patients who underwent laparoscopic CME at a single medical center between January 2014 and January 2019. Short-term surgical outcomes and long-term survival outcomes were analyzed, including overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). RESULTS: A total of 152 patients were included in the study, of which 54 were classified as elderly group (≥70 years) and 98 were classified as younger group (<70 years). The elderly group had more Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) scores >3. The short-term results of the two groups were similar. The overall complication and major complication rates were comparable between the two groups. The 5-year OS rates of the elderly and younger groups were 67% and 71%, respectively (p=0.846). The 5-year DFS rates in the elderly and younger groups were 59% and 62%, respectively (p=0.995). CONCLUSION: Compared with younger patients, laparoscopic CME in elderly colon cancer patients can achieve similar short-term and long-term outcomes. For elderly colon cancer patients, age is not a contraindication to laparoscopic CME.

Prognostic Value of Enolase Gene Family in Colon Cancer.

BACKGROUND Colorectal cancer (CRC), the most common gastrointestinal cancer, is associated with high mortality rates. Enolase is a major enzyme present in the glycolytic pathway. However, the functional significance of the enolase (ENO) gene family in the pathogenesis of CRC has been unclear. MATERIAL AND METHODS The data associated with 438 CRC patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas database were extracted for analysis. Survival analyses with Cox regression was performed to construct a prognostic signature. We investigated the processes that underlies the correlation between ENO genes and overall survival (OS) using gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). We then developed a connectivity map to identify candidate target drugs for CRC. RESULTS The multivariate survival analysis showed that low expression of ENO2 and ENO3 had a significant correlation with longer OS. The joint-effects survival analysis indicated that the combined low expression of ENO2 and ENO3 was highly correlated with favorable OS. As indicated by the gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), the ENO gene is involved in various biological pathways and has multiple roles. Potential pharmacological targets of ENO2 and ENO3 were constructed as well. CONCLUSIONS Low expression levels of both ENO2 and ENO3 were linked to a positive prognosis for CRC. Both ENO2 and ENO3 show promise as prognostic biomarkers for colon cancer patients.

Short- And medium-term outcomes of reduced-port laparoscopic surgery in elderly patients with upper rectal cancer: A retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the short- and medium-term outcomes of using a reduced-port laparoscopic surgery (RPLS), compared to multi-port laparoscopic surgery (MPLS), for the treatment of upper rectal cancer (URC) among elderly patients. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of the clinical and follow-up data of 181 elderly patients with URC, who underwent radical laparoscopic surgery at our hospital, between January 2015 and January 2019. Among these 181 cases, 62 underwent RPLS and 119 MPLS. RESULTS: Compared to MPLS, RPLS decreased the length of surgical incision, lower pain on postoperative days 1 and 2, decreased the time to first flatus after surgery, as well as the time to mobilization after surgery. There was no difference between the short-term outcomes between the two laparoscopic approaches, and no difference in the 3-year disease-free and overall survival rate. CONCLUSION: Compared to MPLS, RPLS provides several advantages for the treatment of URC among elderly individuals, including a shorter length of surgical incision, reduced postoperative pain, shorter time to first flatus after surgery, earlier mobilization, and better cosmetic outcomes. These advantages are achieved with no difference in the length of surgery, nor in the 3-year disease-free and overall survival rate, compared to MPLS.

The epithelial cadherin -160C/A polymorphism is associated with decreased risk of colorectal cancer: a case-control study.

The epithelial cadherin (CDH1) is an important determinant of tumor progression. Previous studies have indicated that the CDH1 -160C/A polymorphism was associated with the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, they yielded conflicting results. Thus, we conducted this case-control study to evaluate the association between the CDH1 -160C/A polymorphism and susceptibility to CRC in a Chinese population. We recruited 351 cases and 411 controls in this case-control study. The genotype of the CDH1 -160C/A polymorphism was performed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS). This study found that the CDH1 -160C/A polymorphism was associated with decreased risk of CRC in this Chinese Han population. Subgroup analyses showed that the CDH1 -160C/A polymorphism decreased the risk of CRC among the males and non-drinkers. In addition, a significantly decreased risk was observed in CRC patients with tumor size ≤ 5 cm, and AA genotype showed a protective role in the CRC patients with no lymph node metastasis. In conclusion, this study shows that CDH1 -160C/A polymorphism is associated with decreased risk of CRC in a Chinese Han population.

Outcome of laparoscopic total gastrectomy for gastric carcinoma.

PURPOSE: Minimally invasive gastrectomy for gastric carcinoma is gaining widespread acceptance. However, data are still lacking on the feasibility, long- and short-term outcomes of laparoscopic total gastrectomy. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the feasibility, safety and long-term results of laparoscopic total gastrectomy. METHODS: Between January 2008 and January 2013, 74 patients with gastric carcinoma who had been subjected to laparoscopic total gastrectomy were evaluated. Each patient was matched to one patient undergoing open total gastrectomy for age, sex, body mass index (BMI), American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grade and clinical TNM stage. Surgical and long-term survival outcomes were evaluated. RESULTS: No differences in baseline data, pathological data and incidence of postoperative 30-day complications were found between the two groups. The blood loss and postoperative hospital stay for the laparoscopy group was significantly shorter than for the open group. In long-term results, no difference was found in overall survival rate (p=0.257) and disease-free survival rate (=0.207) between the two groups. When patients were analyzed according to the pathological TNM stage, the 5-year overall survival rates and disease-free survival rates were not different. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic total gastrectomy for gastric carcinoma is feasible and results in comparable oncologic outcomes as in open total gastrectomy.

DNA repair gene XRCC3 Thr241Met polymorphism and hepatocellular carcinoma risk.

The DNA repair genes have been indicated as candidates in the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Published data on the association between X-ray repair cross-complementing group 3 (XRCC3), a critical member of the DNA repair genes, and HCC risk were contradictory. The aim of this meta-analysis was to assess the effect of XRCC3 Thr241Met polymorphism on HCC risk by pooling available data from published case-control studies. We calculated the pooled odds ratio (OR) with the corresponding 95 % confidence interval (95 % CI) to estimate the effect. Based on the inclusion criteria, six individual studies with 2,288 cases and 3,170 controls were included into our study. Overall, significant association between the XRCC3 Thr241Met variant and HCC risk was observed under the following contrast models (OR Met vs. Thr = 1.68, 95 %CI 1.08-2.62; OR MetMet vs. ThrThr = 5.54, 95 %CI 3.09-9.94; OR MetMet vs. ThrThr + ThrMet = 5.70, 95 % CI 4.24-7.64). Besides, the pooled ORs indicated that the XRCC3 Thr241Met polymorphism exerted risk effect on the HCC pathogenesis among Asians. Additionally, when stratifying by the status of smoking and hepatitis B virus infection, the XRCC3 Thr241Met variant was significantly associated with HCC risk among the HBsAg (+) individuals but not the HBsAg (-) individuals, smokers, and non-smokers. The present meta-analysis suggests that the XRCC3 Thr241Met polymorphism is an independent risk factor for HCC, particularly among Asians and the HBsAg (+) individuals.

Multiplex fluorometric assessment of nutrient limitation as a strategy for enhanced lipid enrichment and harvesting of Neochloris oleoabundans.

Detailed in this study are the results of fluorometric assays used to assess the impact of gradual nutrient limitation versus punctuated nitrate limitation on the lipid content and morphology of Neochloris oleoabundans cells in batch culture. Punctuated nitrate limitation was imposed during pre-log, log, late-log, stationary, and senescent growth phases, and the cells were analyzed by bulk fluorescence emission, flow cytometry, and hyperspectral fluorescence imaging. In addition to intrinsic spectroscopic signatures provided by scatter and endogenous fluorescence, Nile Red staining was employed to monitor relative changes in lipid concentration. Analysis of the fluorescence images and temporal data sets was performed using multivariate curve resolution and fitting to logistic growth models to extract parameters of interest. The spectral components independently isolated from the image and temporal data sets showed close agreement with one another, especially relating to chlorophylls and Nile Red in polar and neutral lipid fractions, respectively. The fastest accumulation and highest total neutral lipid per cell and per chlorophyll were obtained with punctuated nitrate limitation during log phase growth on day 4 of culture. The presence of unbound chlorophyll in the resulting lipid bodies supports a membrane recycling TAG accumulation mechanism mediated by chloropolast-ER lipid exchange. Furthermore, an increase in cell size, indicated by forward scatter, was also found to correlate with increased neutral lipid, providing a size selection mechanism for passive harvest of algal cells at peak lipid enrichment.