Optimal postoperative surveillance strategies for cancer survivors with gastric neuroendocrine carcinoma based on individual risk: a multicenter real-world cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The best follow-up strategy for cancer survivors after treatment should balance the effectiveness and cost of disease detection while detecting recurrence as early as possible. Due to the low incidence of gastric neuroendocrine carcinoma and mixed adenoneuroendocrine carcinoma [G-(MA)NEC], high-level evidence-based follow-up strategies is limited. Currently, there is a lack of consensus among clinical practice guidelines regarding the appropriate follow-up strategies for patients with resectable G-(MA)NEC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included patients diagnosed with G-(MA)NEC from 21 centers in China. The random forest survival model simulated the monthly probability of recurrence to establish an optimal surveillance schedule maximizing the power of detecting recurrence at each follow-up. The power and cost-effectiveness were compared with the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, European Neuroendocrine Tumor Society, and European Society for Medical Oncology Guidelines. RESULTS: A total of 801 patients with G-(MA)NEC were included. The patients were stratified into four distinct risk groups utilizing the modified TNM staging system. The study cohort comprised 106 (13.2%), 120 (15.0%), 379 (47.3%), and 196 cases (24.5%) for modified groups IIA, IIB, IIIA, and IIIB, respectively. Based on the monthly probability of disease recurrence, the authors established four distinct follow-up strategies for each risk group. The total number of follow-ups 5 years after surgery in the four groups was 12, 12, 13, and 13 times, respectively. The risk-based follow-up strategies demonstrated improved detection efficiency compared to existing clinical guidelines. Further Markov decision-analytic models verified that the risk-based follow-up strategies were better and more cost-effective than the control strategy recommended by the guidelines. CONCLUSIONS: This study developed four different monitoring strategies based on individualized risks for patients with G-(MA)NEC, which may improve the detection power at each visit and were more economical, effective. Even though our results are limited by the biases related to the retrospective study design, we believe that, in the absence of a randomized clinical trial, our findings should be considered when recommending follow-up strategies for G-(MA)NEC.

Effects of Transcutaneous Electrical Acupoint Stimulation (TEAS) on Postoperative Recovery in Patients with Gastric Cancer: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

PURPOSE: Transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) is an innovative choice for postoperative pain management. However, the safety and effectiveness of this traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) therapy for patients who underwent gastrectomy is largely unknown. So, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of TEAS for patients who underwent gastrectomy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We recruited 96 patients with gastric cancer from May 2019 to November 2019; 82 patients were enrolled, and 81 patients completed. Patients were randomly assigned to TEAS group (TG) received TEAS on postoperative day (POD) 1-3 or control group (CG) at a 1:1 ratio. The primary outcomes were pain score and consumption of analgesics. The secondary were the time of first postoperative flatus and defecation, frequency of postoperative nausea, vomiting, distention, diarrhea, comfort of semi-fluid diet, Clavien-Dindo grade (C-D grade) and length of postoperative day. We performed hematological analysis to explore the possible mechanisms. RESULTS: Overall, 81 patients were enrolled included in the analysis. Compared with CG, pain scores in TG were lower on POD 1-5 (average: 2.55±0.21 vs 3.10±0.42, P<0.001), and the use rate of opioids was lower (43.9 vs 75.0, P=0.004); time of first postoperative flatus (55.63±16.74 vs 72.60±20.92, P<0.001) and defecation (72.20±16.24 vs 95.78±17.75, P<0.001) were shorter; the frequency of nausea were fewer (1.88±1.09 vs 2.58±0.77, P=0.029) and patients were more comfortable with semi-fluid diet (7.63±0.63 vs 6.93±0.69, P<0.001); among the hematologic results, ß-endorphin (ß-End), interleukin-2 (IL-2), motilin (MTL) on POD 3, POD 5 were lower, 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were higher. And no adverse event was reported. CONCLUSION: TEAS can relieve postoperative pain and promote the recovery of gastrointestinal function. Consequently, it can be an adjunctive therapy to enhance postoperative recovery for patients after gastrectomy.

Effect of intensive vs conventional insulin therapy on perioperative nutritional substrates metabolism in patients undergoing gastrectomy.

AIM: To investigate the effect of intensive vs conventional insulin therapy on perioperative nutritional substrates metabolism in patients undergoing radical distal gastrectomy. METHODS: Within 24 h of intensive care unit management, patients with gastric cancer were enrolled after written informed consent and randomized to the intensive insulin therapy (IIT) group to keep glucose levels from 4.4 to 6.1 mmol/L or the conventional insulin therapy (CIT) group to keep levels less than 10 mmol/L. Resting energy expenditure (REE), respiratory quotient (RQ), resting energy expenditure per kilogram (REE/kg), and the lipid oxidation rate were monitored by the indirect calorimeter of calcium citrate malate nutrition metabolism investigation system. The changes in body composition were analyzed by multi-frequency bioimpedance analysis. Blood fasting glucose and insulin concentration were measured for assessment of Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance. RESULTS: Sixty patients were enrolled. Compared with preoperative baseline, postoperative REE increased by over 22.15% and 11.07%; REE/kg rose up to 27.22 ± 1.33 kcal/kg and 24.72 ± 1.43 kcal/kg; RQ decreased to 0.759 ± 0.034 and 0.791 ± 0.037; the lipid oxidation ratio was up to 78.25% ± 17.74% and 67.13% ± 12.76% supported by parenteral nutrition solutions from 37.56% ± 11.64% at the baseline; the level of Ln-HOMA-IR went up dramatically (P < 0.05, respectively) on postoperative days 1 and 3 in the IIT group. Meanwhile the concentration of total protein, albumin and triglyceride declined significantly on postoperative days 1 and 3 compared with pre-operative levels (P < 0.05, respectively). Compared with the CIT group, IIT reduced the REE/kg level (27.22 ± 1.33 kcal/kg vs 29.97 ± 1.47 kcal/kg, P = 0.008; 24.72 ± 1.43 kcal/kg vs 25.66 ± 1.63 kcal/kg, P = 0.013); and decreased the Ln-HOMA-IR score (P = 0.019, 0.028) on postoperative days 1 and 3; IIT decreased the level of CRP on postoperative days 1 and 3 (P = 0.017, 0.006); the total protein and albumin concentrations in the IIT group were greater than those in the CIT group (P = 0.023, 0.009). Postoperative values of internal cell fluid (ICF), fat mass, protein mass (PM), muscle mass, free fat mass and body weight decreased obviously on postoperative 7th day compared with the preoperative baseline in the CIT group (P < 0.05, respectively). IIT reduced markedly consumption of fat mass, PM and ICF compared with CIT (P = 0.009 to 0.026). CONCLUSION: There were some benefits of IIT in decreasing the perioperative insulin resistance state, reducing energy expenditure and consumption of proteins and lipids tissue in patients undergoing gastrectomy.