The use of rifaximin in pre-operative period of patients with tumors of the gastrointestinal tract - a retrospective study (2013-2016).

ntroduction: One of the most important goals of preparing a patient for elective gastrointestinal cancer surgery is prevention of postoperative complications. The literature gives many ways to prepare for surgery, but only a few suggests that pre-operative use of rifaximin provides benefits in the form of fewer perioperative complications and reduces the severity of pain during this period. O bjective: The presented project is a retrospective analysis of the effectiveness of rifaximin in the prevention of perioperative complications in patients treated in the Unit of General Surgery with the Orthopedic and Urology in the Hospital of the Ministry of the Interior and Administration in Lublin, and a review of international literature in this subject. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of the results of pre-operative use of rifaximin was performed in 181 patients scheduled for rectal and colorectal cancer between 2013 and 2016 in the General Surgery Unit with the Orthopedic and Urology in the Hospital of the Ministry of Interior and Administration in Lublin. Patients undergoing urgent surgery were excluded from the study. Patients were divided into 2 groups. The first group of 139 patients - patients operated on for rectal and colorectal cancer in 2013 until 2015, in whom rifaximine was not used in the preoperative period. The second group is 42 patients, operated on in 2016, in which the rifaximin was used in the pre-operative period at a dose of 2x2 tablets (400 mg) per day, 12-hour interval, for 7 days before the planned operation. Additionally, a probiotic was administered for 7 days. Drugs were ordained at the Oncological Outpatient Clinic as part of the pre-hospitalization check. R esults: The use of rifaximin in the preoperative period in patients with colorectal cancer had an effect on shortening the time of post-operative hospitalization and reduced post-surgical pain in comparison with the control group. The analysis of the cynumber and intensity of surgical complications in both groups did not differ. C onclusions: Large studies on the influence of rifaximin on the development of colorectal cancer have not been published so far. Only single reports suggest that its use has a positive effect on the perioperative period of patients treated for colorectal cancer including rectum and our retrospective analysis confirms these observations.

Cytogenetic damage in lymphocytes of patients undergoing therapy for small cell lung cancer and ovarian carcinoma.

The level of cytogenetic damage in peripheral blood lymphocytes of patients undergoing chemotherapy has been analyzed incisively 20 years ago. The results showed that the highest level of cytogenetic damage was observed at the end of therapy. In recent years, the doses of anticancer drugs were intensified thanks to the discovery of colony stimulating factors. Therefore, it was interesting to analyze the kinetics of micronuclei formation in lymphocytes of patients undergoing modern chemotherapy. The frequencies of micronuclei were measured in lymphocytes of 6 patients with small cell lung cancer treated with a combination of cisplatin and etoposide and 7 patients with ovarian carcinoma treated with a combination of taxol and cisplatin. 3 patients with lung cancer received radiotherapy in addition to chemotherapy. Micronuclei were analyzed in lymphocytes collected before the start of therapy and 1 day before each following cycle of chemotherapy. The micronucleus frequencies were compared with the kinetics of leukocyte counts. The micronucleus frequencies showed an interindividual variability. On average, the frequencies of micronuclei increased during the first half of therapy and declined thereafter, reaching, in some patients with ovarian carcinoma, values below the pre-treatment level. Leukocyte counts decreased strongly at the beginning of therapy with an upward trend at the end. We suggest that the decline of micronuclei was due to repopulation of lymphocytes and acquired drug resistance.