Local recurrence rate in a national Danish patient cohort after curative treatment for rectal cancer.

AIM: Several trials have shown that preoperative (chemo)radiotherapy (CRT) reduces local recurrence rates (LRRs) in rectal cancer (RC). The use of CRT varies greatly between countries. It is unknown whether the restrictive use of CRT in Denmark results in a higher LRR relative to other countries. The aim was to evaluate the LRR in a national Danish consecutive cohort of patients with RC. METHODS: All data from patients with RC in Denmark in 2009-2010 who were operated on with curative intent were retrieved from the Danish Colorectal Cancer Group database. Patients with metastases at the time of diagnosis, patients with synchronous colon cancer, and patients, in whom only local surgical procedures were performed, were excluded. In total, 1633 patients met the inclusion criteria. Clinical follow-up was at least five years with a cut-off date of 31 December 2015. RESULTS: Clinical follow-up was 5.4 years (median) with an interquartile range of 4.5-6.1 years. Of all included patients, 479 (29%) were treated with preoperative long-course CRT. Local recurrence was found in 68 patients, resulting in an LRR of 4.2%, and 182 (11%) patients developed distant metastases. Five-year overall survival was 74% (95% CI: 71.64-75.91). CONCLUSIONS: Five-year follow-up of curatively treated patients with RC in Denmark revealed a low LRR. This figure is identical to those reported in other Nordic countries, despite Denmark's considerably stricter guidelines for CRT. The obtained results justify the currently adopted restrictive use of preoperative CRT in Denmark.

Colonoscopy and multidetector-array computed-tomographic colonography: detection rates and feasibility.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Computed-tomographic (CT) colonography has been introduced as a minimally invasive colon examination for the detection of colorectal neoplasms. The aim of this study was to compare the performance characteristics of multidetector-array CT colonography (MDCTC) and conventional colonoscopy in a prospective, blinded design. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Sixty-six symptomatic patients, 75 patients undergoing polyp and cancer surveillance, and seven patients undergoing preoperative colonoscopy due to colorectal cancer (CRC) were examined with MDCTC and subsequent colonoscopy. The gold standard was colonoscopy. If MDCTC was positive and the first-pass colonoscopy was negative, a second-pass colonoscopy served as the gold standard. RESULTS: Complete colonoscopy was achieved in 91% of the patients, while technically satisfying MDCTC was obtained in 76% of the patients (P < 0.01), insufficient air distension in the sigmoid colon being the main problem. MDCTC and colonoscopy both detected all 11 carcinomas. Overall detection rates for polypoid lesions 6 mm or larger in size were 81% (95% CI, 70% to 90%) for MDCTC and 87% (95% CI, 77% to 94%) for colonoscopy (P = 0.52), with a significant difference with regard to the detection of polyps 6-9 mm in size in favor of colonoscopy (P = 0.008). The specificity of MDCTC at a 6-mm level was 97% (95% CI, 92% to 99%). CONCLUSIONS: MDCTC and colonoscopy show equal overall sensitivity for the detection of polypoid lesions 6 mm or larger in size, but more patients are inadequately examined when MDCTC is used.

Time-dependent intestinal adaptation and GLP-2 alterations after small bowel resection in rats.

Existing data on morphological adaptation after small bowel resection are obtained by potentially biased methods. Using stereological techniques, we examined segments of bowel on days 0, 4, 7, 14, and 28 after 80% jejunoileal resection or sham operation in rats and correlated intestinal growth with plasma levels of glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2). In the jejunum and ileum of the resected rats, the mucosal weight increased by 120 and 115% during the first week, and the weight of muscular layer increased by 134 and 83%, compared with sham-operated controls. The luminal surface area increased by 190% in the jejunum and by 155% in the ileum after 28 days. The GLP-2 level was increased by 130% during the entire study period in the resected rats. Small bowel resection caused a pronounced and persistent transmural growth response in the remaining small bowel, with the most prominent growth occurring in the jejunal part. The significantly elevated GLP-2 level is consistent with an important role of GLP-2 in the adaptive response.

GH decreases hepatic amino acid degradation after small bowel resection in rats without enhancing bowel adaptation.

Growth hormone (GH) treatment in short bowel syndrome is controversial, and the mechanisms of a possible positive effect remain to be elucidated. Rats were randomly subjected to either an 80% jejunoileal resection or sham operation and were given either placebo (NaCl) or biosynthetic rat GH (brGH). The in vivo capacity of urea nitrogen synthesis (CUNS) and the expression of urea cycle enzymes were measured and related to changes in body weight and adaptive growth in ileal segments on days 7 and 14. Ileal segments were examined by unbiased stereological techniques. brGH treatment decreased CUNS among the resected rats by 19% (P<0.05) and 36% (P<0.05) on days 7 and 14, respectively. The mRNA levels of urea cycle enzyme genes were not influenced by brGH treatment. brGH treatment did not increase the adaptive growth in the ileal segments. In conclusion, we found that GH treatment decreased the accelerated postoperative hepatic amino acid degradation in experimental short bowel syndrome without enhancing the morphological intestinal adaptation.