A Quest for Survival: A Review of the Early Biomarkers of Pancreatic Cancer and the Most Effective Approaches at Present.

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is the most lethal type of cancer; it has the lowest 5-year survival rate among all other types of cancers. More than half of PC cases are diagnosed at an advanced stage due to PC's insidious and non-specific symptoms. Surgery remains the most efficacious treatment option currently available, but only 10-20% of PC cases are resectable upon diagnosis. As of now, the sole biomarker approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (US-FDA) for PC is carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9); however, its use is limited for early diagnosis. An increasing number of studies have investigated a combination of biomarkers. Lately, there has been considerable interest in the application of a liquid biopsy, including the utilization of microRNAs (miRNAs), circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), and circulating tumor cells (CTCs). Screening for PC is indicated for high-risk patients; studies on new diagnostic models combined with biomarkers for early detection have also shown promising results in terms of the ability of these models and biomarkers to aid clinicians in deciding on whether to start screening. This review seeks to provide a concise overview of the advancements in relation to existing biomarkers and explore novel strategies for the early detection of PC.

Gastroptosis due to Gastric Outlet Obstruction Secondary to Duodenal Tumor: Glenard's Disease Revisited.

Currently, gastroptosis is rarely reported, and the actual prevalence is unknown. Similarly, the possible predisposing factor and cause remain unclear. A 69-year-old had melena for 1 week, and other symptoms were left upper abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting especially postprandially that was persistent for several months with no response to medication. The nasogastric tube produced yellowish discharge and dark-colored undigested material. The CT scan showed obstruction of the gastroduodenal junction and gastroptosis. Endoscopy revealed a gastric lumen that was extended inferiorly and an occluded pyloric ring by a bleeding mass protruding from the duodenum. We report the first case of gastroptosis caused by gastric outlet obstruction secondary to duodenal tumor.

Screening Colonoscopy for Colon Cancer in Women during COVID-19 Pandemic.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the top three leading causes of death in both men and women. However, screening can help detect and prevent CRC. Multiple guidelines recommend CRC screening using stool-based screening and direct visualization via colonoscopy. Anatomically, women have a longer total colonic length, especially in the transverse colon, which makes it redundant; thus it is more difficult to perform complete endoscopy in women. Women also have a higher risk of developing right-sided colon cancer of the flat and depressed type, which is harder to detect than the other types. Moreover, women are less likely to undergo colonoscopy due to embarrassment, especially when the procedure is performed by male gastroenterologists, and the lack of available female gastroenterologists further complicates the problem. The current COVID-19 pandemic also decreases patients' willingness to undergo screening due to the fear of contracting the COVID-19. Delay in diagnosis leads to more advanced tumors upon detection and ultimately decreases the survival rate, especially in women, as they have lower 1-year survival rate when CRC is detected in its later stages than in men. Innovative options for CRC screening have recently emerged, including colon capsule endoscopy, which can be performed in a clinic and may reduce the need for colonoscopy. However, sex-specific CRC screening guidelines and tools are not available. The objective of this review is to identify the barriers and challenges faced when performing screening colonoscopy in women, especially during the pandemic and to encourage the development of sex-specific CRC screening.

Hemospray® during Emergency Endoscopy: Indonesia's First Experience from 37 Patients.

Gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) is one of the main indications for performing endoscopy; this condition can be life threatening. In some cases, emergency endoscopy (EE) is necessary to identify the source and stop the bleeding. Recently, hemostatic powder was introduced, one of which was Hemospray® (Cook Medical, Winston-Salem, NC, USA), which showed promising results for rapid hemostasis in primary treatment and salvage when conventional methods fails. Samples were taken retrospectively for a duration of 3 years since Hemospray was first introduced in Indonesia, from January 2016 to January 2019. The total number of EEs that used Hemospray were 37 procedures for 37 patients; 21 (56.8%) were males and 16 (43.2%) were females, while the average age was 67.8 years. Hemospray was used for upper GIB in 30 cases (81.1%) and for lower GIB in 7 (18.9%). Hemospray was used as monotherapy for 24 patients (64.9%) and as secondary modality for 13 (35.1%). The primary treatment was argon plasma coagulation in 8 cases (21.6%), adrenaline in 4 (10.8%), and Histoacryl® in 1 (2.7%). The mortality rate was 37.8% (n = 14); most deaths occurred within 30 days after the EE was performed, and none of the deaths was related to endoscopy or GIB. Hemospray was able to achieve hemostasis in all cases. Furthermore, there was no event of rebleeding. When conventional modalities alone were inadequate, the combination with Hemospray appeared to be able to control the bleeding. One of the main advantages of Hemospray is the ease in reaching difficult areas, and it require less skill compared to conventional modalities.