Defining the rate of nutritional and metabolic derangements after pancreatic resection.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Pancreatic resection is associated with pancreatic exocrine insufficiency (PEI) leading to nutritional consequences. The Pancreatic Nutrition Clinic was established to diagnose and manage PEI through standardised nutritional assessment. In this prospective observational study, we aimed to define the rate of PEI, diabetes mellitus and nutritional abnormalities in patients who underwent pancreatic resection. METHODS: All Pancreatic Nutrition Clinic patients were included for analysis. Clinical data were prospectively obtained at initial assessment. Biochemical data included micronutrient levels, faecal elastase-1 and haemoglobin A1c. Bone mineral density and nutritional assessment were undertaken. RESULTS: Ninety-eight patients were included. Fifty-nine per cent (58/98) had undergone a pancreatoduodenectomy. Ninety-three patients had a faecal elastase-1 result, 65% (60/93) of which had a faecal elastase-1 less than 200 µg/g of faeces. Seventy-five patients (76%) of the total population required PERT, and thirty-nine (40%) were classified as malnourished using the patient-generated subjective global assessment tool. Seventy-two per cent (70/97) had a biochemical deficiency of one or more micronutrients. Thirty-eight people (39%) had diabetes mellitus. Of the seventy-eight patients with a bone mineral density scan available for analysis, 29% (23/78) had osteoporosis and 49% (38/78) osteopenia. CONCLUSIONS: Pancreatic exocrine insufficiency, micronutrient deficiency, bone disease, diabetes mellitus and malnutrition are highly prevalent in patients who have undergone pancreatic resection.

Treatment of ALK-rearranged non-small cell lung cancer: A review of the landscape and approach to emerging patterns of treatment resistance in the Australian context.

Since the identification of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene rearrangements in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in 2005, the treatment of ALK-rearranged NSCLC (ALK+ NSCLC) has evolved at a rapid pace. This molecularly distinct subset of NSCLC has uniquely important biology, clinicopathologic features and mechanisms of drug resistance which impact on the choice of treatment for a patient with this disease. There are multiple ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitors now available in clinical practice with efficacy data continuing to emerge and guide the optimal treatment algorithm. A detailed search of medical databases and clinical trial registries was conducted to capture all relevant articles on this topic enabling an updated detailed overview of the landscape of management of ALK-rearranged NSCLC.

Retrospective cohort analysis of neoadjuvant treatment and survival in resectable and borderline resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma in a high volume referral centre.

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a deadly disease. Neoadjuvant therapy (NA) with chemotherapy (NAC) and radiotherapy (RT) prior to surgery provides promise. In the absence of prospective data, well annotated clinical data from high-volume units may provide pilot data for randomised trials. METHODS: Medical records from a tertiary hospital in Sydney, Australia, were analysed to identify all patients with resectable or borderline resectable PDAC. Data regarding treatment, toxicity and survival were collected. RESULTS: Between January 1 2010 and April 1 2016, 220 sequential patients were treated: 87 with NA and 133 with upfront operation (UO). Forty-three NA patients (52%) and 5 UO patients (4%) were borderline resectable at diagnosis. Twenty-four borderline patients received NA RT, 22 sequential to NAC. The median overall survival (OS) in the NA group was 25.9 months (mo); 95% CI (21.1-43.0 mo) compared to 26.9 mo (19.7, 32.7) in the UO; HR 0.89; log-ranked p-value = 0.58. Sixty-nine NA patients (79%) were resected, mOS was 29.2 mo (22.27, not reached (NR)). Twenty-two NA (31%) versus 22 UO (17%) were node negative at operation (N0). In those managed with NAC/RT the mOS was 29.0 mo (17.3, NR). There were no post-operative deaths with NA within 90-days and three in the UO arm. DISCUSSION: This is a hypothesis generating retrospective review of a selected real-world population in a high-throughput unit. Treatment with NA was well tolerated. The long observed survival in this group may be explained by lymph node sterilisation by NA, and the achievement of R0 resection in a greater proportion of patients.