The molecular biology of pancreatic adenocarcinoma: translational challenges and clinical perspectives.

Pancreatic cancer is an increasingly common cause of cancer mortality with a tight correspondence between disease mortality and incidence. Furthermore, it is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage with a very dismal prognosis. Due to the high heterogeneity, metabolic reprogramming, and dense stromal environment associated with pancreatic cancer, patients benefit little from current conventional therapy. Recent insight into the biology and genetics of pancreatic cancer has supported its molecular classification, thus expanding clinical therapeutic options. In this review, we summarize how the biological features of pancreatic cancer and its metabolic reprogramming as well as the tumor microenvironment regulate its development and progression. We further discuss potential biomarkers for pancreatic cancer diagnosis, prediction, and surveillance based on novel liquid biopsies. We also outline recent advances in defining pancreatic cancer subtypes and subtype-specific therapeutic responses and current preclinical therapeutic models. Finally, we discuss prospects and challenges in the clinical development of pancreatic cancer therapeutics.

Transcutaneous electroacupuncture alleviates postoperative ileus after gastrectomy: A randomized clinical trial.

AIM: To investigate the efficacy and safety of transcutaneous electroacupuncture (TEA) to alleviate postoperative ileus (POI) after gastrectomy. METHODS: From April 2014 to February 2017, 63 gastric cancer patients were recruited from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China. After gastrectomy, the patients were randomly allocated to the TEA (n = 33) or control (n = 30) group. The patients in the TEA group received 1 h TEA on Neiguan (ST36) and Zusanli (PC6) twice daily in the morning and afternoon until they passed flatus. The main outcomes were hours to the first flatus or bowel movement, time to nasogastric tube removal, time to liquid and semi-liquid diet, and hospital stay. The secondary outcomes included postoperative symptom assessment and complications. RESULTS: Time to first flatus in the TEA group was significantly shorter than in the control group (73.19 ± 15.61 vs 82.82 ± 20.25 h, P = 0.038), especially for open gastrectomy (76.53 ± 14.29 vs 87.23 ± 20.75 h, P = 0.048). Bowel sounds on day 2 in the TEA group were significantly greater than in the control group (2.30 ± 2.61/min vs 1.05 ± 1.26/min, P = 0.017). Time to nasogastric tube removal in the TEA group was earlier than in the control group (4.22 ± 1.01 vs 4.97 ± 1.67 d, P = 0.049), as well as the time to liquid diet (5.0 ± 1.34 vs 5.83 ± 2.10 d, P = 0.039). Hospital stay in the TEA group was significantly shorter than in the control group (8.06 ± 1.75 vs 9.40 ± 3.09 d, P = 0.041). No significant differences in postoperative symptom assessment and complications were found between the groups. There was no severe adverse event related to TEA. CONCLUSION: TEA accelerated bowel movements and alleviated POI after open gastrectomy and shortened hospital stay.

Clinical treatment of gastrinoma: A case report and review of the literature.

Gastrinoma is a gastrin-secreting tumor that is associated with Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. The majority of cases occur in the pancreas, followed by the duodenum. Early diagnosis is difficult due to the relative rarity of the tumor and the lack of specific symptoms. In the current study, a 68-year-old female patient presented at the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University (Hangzhou, China) due to intermittent abdominal pain and watery diarrhea. The patient was treated by surgical resection and was pathologically diagnosed with a well-differentiated pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (gastrinoma; grade 1). No evidence of recurrence was observed during 1 year of follow-up. Furthermore, a review of the Chinese literature was performed, which analyzed an additional 17 published cases of gastrinoma. The tumor size ranged between 0.5×0.5 cm and 7.5×6.3×5.1 cm. The pancreas was the most common site of occurrence, accounting for 72% (13/18) of cases, followed by the duodenum (28%; 5/18). The most common initial symptom was abdominal pain (89%; 16/18), followed by diarrhea (56%; 10/18). In 18 cases, including the present case and 17 previous cases, the level of gastrin ranged between 137 and 1,550 pg/ml (normal range, 5-100 pg/ml). Of the 17 previous cases, 11 patients underwent surgery and 6 patients received conservative therapy due to metastasis or patient choice. Overall, gastrinoma remains a rare disease. Complete removal of the lesion is the standard curative treatment and conservative treatment is only recommended for patients unsuitable for surgery or for those with widespread metastasis.