Preoperative treatment of locally advanced esophageal carcinoma (Review).

Esophageal cancer (EC) is an aggressive malignancy with increasing incidence worldwide. Surgery is still the most effective treatment, however, both the high rate of local and distant recurrences and surgery-related complications led us to investigate new preoperative strategies. In this review, we discuss the role of neoadjuvant therapy for locally advanced EC with a focus on preoperative chemoradiation (trimodality treatment). Furthermore, the last fifteen years of published literature and our experience have been also reviewed. In the preoperative setting, few trials have reported a significant benefit with fluoropyrimidine and platinum compound-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy, compared to surgery alone. A large number of phase III trials and meta-analyses have demonstrated improved outcomes with preoperative chemoradiation vs. neoadjuvant chemotherapy or surgery alone. Therefore, trimodality therapy can be considered the most effective option in the management of locally advanced EC. Addition of drugs targeting VEGF or HER2 to standard chemotherapy appears to be feasible but needs to be explored more accurately. FDG-PET may predict both response to neoadjuvant treatments and prognosis.

Laparoscopic gastric bypass with silicone band in a pig model: prevention of anastomotic dilatation -- feasibility study.

BACKGROUND: Morbid obesity has become a major global health problem. Surgery remains the only effective treatment for patients with severe obesity, because diet reduction methods and pharmacologic agents have not resulted in long-term weight reduction. Gastric bypass (GBP) can provide adequate weight loss, but after some years, dilatation of the gastric pouch and outlet may lead to weight regain by allowing the patient to increase food intake. METHODS: 2 groups of 6 pigs underwent laparoscopic GBP. In the first group, a non-adjustable silicone band (Proring-band, IOC, Innovative Obesity Care, Saint Etienne, France) was positioned 1 cm proximal to the gastrojejunal anastomosis. In the second group, the device used to stabilize the gastric pouch was an adjustable silicone band (Mid-band, Medical Innovation Developpement, Villeurbanne, France). Weight loss, complications and histological reaction were evaluated after 3 months. RESULTS: Mortality rate was 25% (cardiac arrythmia in 2 pigs). Conversion rate was 25%. The positioning of the band was more difficult with the Mid-band because of its larger size and the presence of the catheter. The average weight change in the Proring group was 15.8 kg (3.5-25.1 kg), and in the Mid-band group was 12.0 kg (6.2-15.1 kg). Morbidity consisted of one intragastric migration of the Proring band into the gastrojejunal anastomosis, and one infection of the port in the Mid-band group treated by removal of the port and antibiotics. CONCLUSION: Use of silicone devices may be safe and effective in the prevention of pouch or outlet dilatation after GBP.