Intestinal Conventional Ultrasonography, Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasonography and Magnetic Resonance Enterography in Assessment of Crohn's Disease Activity: A Comparison with Surgical Histopathology Analysis.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) is a potential interesting method for assessing accurately Crohn's disease (CD) activity. We compared the value of intestinal ultrasonography (US) coupled with contrast agent injection with that of magnetic resonance enterography (MRE) in the assessment of small bowel CD activity using surgical histopathology analysis as reference. METHODS: Seventeen clinically active CD patients (14 women, mean age 33 years) requiring an ileal or ileocolonic resection were prospectively enrolled. All performed a MRE and a US coupled with contrast agent injection (CEUS) less than 8 weeks prior to surgery. Various imaging qualitative and quantitative parameters were recorded and their respective performance to detect disease activity, disease extension and presence of complications was compared to surgical histopathological analysis. RESULTS: The median wall thickness measured by US differed significantly between patients with non-severely active CD (n = 5) and those with severely active CD (n = 12) [7.0 mm, IQR (6.5-9.5) vs 10.0 mm, IQR (8.0-12.0), respectively; p = 0.03]. A non-significant trend was found with MRE with a median wall thickness in severe active CD of 10.0 mm, IQR (8.0-13.7) compared with 8.0 mm, IQR (7.5-10.5) in non-severely active CD (p = 0.07). The area under the ROC curve (AUROC) of the wall thickness assessed by US and MRE to identify patients with or without severely active CD on surgical specimens were 0.85, 95% CI (0.64-1.04), p = 0.03 and 0.80, 95% CI (0.56-1.01), p = 0.07, respectively. Among the parameters derived from the time-intensity curve during CEUS, time to peak and rise time were the two most accurate markers [AUROC = 0.88, 95% CI (0.70-1.04), p = 0.02 and 0.86, 95% CI (0.68-1.04), p = 0.03] to detect patients with severely active CD assessed on surgical specimens. CONCLUSION: The accuracy of intestinal CEUS is close to that of conventional US to detect disease activity. A thickened bowel and shortened time to peak and rise time were the most accurate to identify CD patients with severe histological disease activity.

Evaluation of a strategy using pretherapeutic fiducial marker placement to avoid missing liver metastases.

Background: Hepatic surgery is appropriate for selected patients with colorectal liver metastases (CRLM). Advances in chemotherapy have led to modification of management, particularly when metastases disappear. Treatment should address all initial CRLM sites based on pretherapeutic cross-sectional imaging. This study aimed to evaluate pretherapeutic fiducial marker placement to optimize CRLM treatment. Methods: This pilot investigation included patients with CRLM who were considered for potentially curative treatment between 2009 and 2016. According to a multidisciplinary team decision, lesions smaller than 25 mm in diameter that were more than 10 mm deep in the hepatic parenchyma and located outside the field of a planned resection were marked. Complication rates and clinicopathological data were analysed. Results: Some 76 metastases were marked in 43 patients among 217 patients with CRLM treated with curative intent. Of these, 23 marked CRLM (30 per cent), with a mean(s.d.) size of 11·0(3·4) mm, disappeared with preoperative chemotherapy. There were four complications associated with marking: two intrahepatic haematomas, one fiducial migration and one misplacement. After a median follow-up of 47·7 (range 18·1-144·9) months, no needle-track seeding was noted. Of four disappearing CRLM that were marked and resected, two presented with persistent active disease. Other missing lesions were treated with thermoablation. Conclusion: Pretherapeutic fiducial marker placement appears useful for the curative management of CRLM.

Fetal death in utero and miscarriage in a patient with Crohn's disease under therapy with ustekinumab: case-report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Ustekinumab is a fully human monoclonal antibody against the p40 subunit of interleukin (IL) 12 and 23 which is involved in the pathogenesis of several inflammatory diseases. Ustekinumab is approved for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis treatment and has been successfully evaluated in phase II and III trials for patients with Crohn's disease (CD). CASE PRESENTATION: We report here the case of a patient who became pregnant during treatment with ustekinumab for a refractory CD and which ended in miscarriage. CONCLUSION: Ustekinumab is a relatively new pharmacotherapy and in addition to this clinical case, we reviewed the published literature concerning the use of this treatment during pregnancy and its consequences on pregnancy and fetus outcome.

Long-term net survival in patients with colorectal cancer in France: an informative contribution of recent methodology.

BACKGROUND: Net survival, the survival that might occur if cancer was the only cause of death, is a major epidemiological indicator. Recent findings have shown that the classical methods used for the estimation of net survival from cancer registry data, referred as to "relative-survival methods," provided biased estimates. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to provide, for the first time, long-term net survival rates for colorectal cancer by using a population-based digestive cancer registry. DESIGN: This study is a population-based cancer registry analysis. The recently proposed unbiased nonparametric Pohar-Perme estimator was used. PATIENTS: Overall, 14,715 colorectal cancers diagnosed between 1976 and 2005 and registered in the population-based digestive cancer registry of Burgundy (France) were included. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome measured was cancer net survival, ie, the survival that might occur if all risks of dying of other causes than cancer were removed RESULTS: : Ten-year net survival increased from 31% during the 1976 to 1985 period to 47% during the 1986 to 1995 period and then leveled out (48% during the 1996-2005 period). There was a major improvement in 10-year net survival after resection for cure and for stage I to III. It was striking for stage III cancers, for which 10-year net survival increased from 21% (1976-1985) to 49% (1996-2005). The corresponding net survivals were 70% and 87% for stage I and 49% and 65% for stage II. These trends can be related to the decrease in operative mortality, the increase in the proportion of patients resected for cure, and the improvement in stage at diagnosis. They were mainly seen between 1976 and 1995, explaining why survival leveled out after 1995. LIMITATIONS: The study was limited by its retrospective and population-based nature. CONCLUSIONS: Further improvements for colorectal cancer management can be expected from more effective treatments and from the implementation of organized cancer screening.

Management and prognosis of pancreatic cancer over a 30-year period.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to report on changes in the diagnostic assessment, patterns of care and survival over time for pancreatic cancers. METHODS: A total of 2986 cases of pancreatic cancer from the Digestive Cancer Registry of Burgundy (France) over a 30-year period (1976-2005) were considered. Non-conditional logistic regressions were carried out to identify the factors associated with resection for cure and with the use of chemotherapy. A multivariate relative survival analysis was carried out. RESULTS: Diagnostic procedures have changed. Ultrasonography and computed tomography progressively have become the major diagnostic procedures. There was a slight improvement in stage: the proportion of stage I-II was 2.8% in the 1976-1980 period and 8.8% in the 2001-2005 period (P<0.001). There was a similar trend in the proportion of cases resected for cure, the corresponding percentages being 4.5 and 11.3%, respectively (P<0.001). The 5-year relative survival increased from 2.0 to 4.2% (P<0.001). In the multivariate relative survival analysis, the period remained a significant prognostic factor. Stage, sex, age and histology were independent prognostic factors. CONCLUSION: Over a 30-year period, there were minor changes in the stage at diagnosis, resection for cure and prognosis of pancreatic cancers, although there were improvements in the diagnostic modalities. Pancreatic cancer still represents a major challenge in oncology.

Evaluation of a new solid formulation of calcium and vitamin D in institutionalized elderly subjects. A randomized comparative trial versus separate administration of both constituents.

Supplementation with 800 IU of vitamin D and 1 g of calcium each day is recommended in institutionalized elderly subjects to prevent secondary hyperparathyroidism and its adverse skeletal effects. An original formulation (IDEOS) combining vitamin D and calcium has been developed for use in this end. The aim of this study was to determine whether administration of this association, of which each tablet contains 500 mg calcium and 400 IU vitamin D3, produces the same beneficial effects on laboratory parameters as separate administration of both active agents. A multicenter randomized study was conducted in 91 elderly institutionalized subjects (mean age 83.1 years) who had vitamin D deficiency [25-(OH)D < 6 ng/ml] without severe renal failure. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of the two treatment groups. Treatment duration was six months. One group (G1, n = 46) received one tablet of the new formulation twice daily. The other (G2, n = 45) received 8 drops of vitamin D3 (800 IU/day) and one calcium carbonate 500 mg tablet twice daily. Blood tests were carried out at inclusion and after three and six months of treatment. In group G1, plasma 25-(OH)D levels increased from 2.6 ng/ml at inclusion to 14.6 ng/ml at month 6 (p < 0.001), and iPTH fell from 63.2 pg/ml at inclusion to 33.8 pg/ml at month 6 (p < 0.001). In group G2, 25-(OH)D rose from 2.8 ng/ml at inclusion to 13.5 ng/ml at month 6 (p < 0.001), and iPTH fell from 55.4 pg/ml at inclusion to 32.5 pg/ml at month 6 (p < 0.001).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)