Quantitative CT Detects Undiagnosed Low Bone Mineral Density in Oncologic Patients Imaged With 18F-FDG PET/CT.

PURPOSE: We assessed the prevalence of low bone mineral density (BMD) in oncologic patients undergoing F-FDG PET/CT. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective analysis of 100 patients who underwent F-FDG PET/CT at a single center from October 2015 till May 2016. Quantitative CT (QCT) was used to assess BMD at the lumbar spine (BMDQCT) and femoral necks (BMDCTXA). SUVmax was used to evaluate metabolic activity of the bone marrow. Risk of osteoporosis-related fractures was calculated with femoral neck BMDCTXA and the FRAX algorithm, which was compared against measurements of CT attenuation of the trabecular bone at L1 (L1HU). RESULTS: Osteoporosis and osteopenia were respectively present in 16% and 46% of patients 50 years and older. Bone marrow SUVmax was correlated with BMD at the lumbar spine (ρ = 0.36, P < 0.001). Increased age and low marrow SUVmax were associated with low BMDQCT at the lumbar spine (both P < 0.001), whereas increased age, female sex, and low marrow SUVmax were associated with low BMDCTXA at the femoral necks (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, P = 0.01, respectively). L1HU had an area under the curve of 0.95 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.90-0.99) for detecting increased risk for osteoporosis-related fracture, with best threshold of 125.8 HU (95% CI, 115.7-144.9) yielding sensitivity of 100% (95% CI, 0.92-1.00), specificity of 0.90 (95% CI, 0.76-0.97), and accuracy of 0.91 (95% CI, 0.79-0.97). CONCLUSIONS: Low BMD is frequent in oncologic patients undergoing F-FDG PET/CT. Decreased F-FDG avidity of the bone marrow correlates with decreased BMD, validating the link between osteoporosis and bone marrow fat. L1HU could be a simple and accurate approach for detecting patients at risk for osteoporosis-related fractures using PET/CTdata.

Association of Prediagnostic Frailty, Change in Frailty Status, and Mortality After Cancer Diagnosis in the Women's Health Initiative.

Importance: Understanding changes in frailty in relation to cancer diagnosis can inform optimal selection of cancer treatments and survivorship care. Objective: To investigate associations of prediagnostic frailty and change in frailty status with mortality after a cancer diagnosis. Design, Setting, and Participants: This multicenter, prospective cohort study included 7257 community-dwelling, postmenopausal women in the United States who had frailty assessed at the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) enrollment (1993-1998) and the 3-year visit who were subsequently diagnosed as having invasive cancer. The data were analyzed from January 7, 2019, to June, 8, 2020. Exposure: Frailty scores were defined from validated questionnaire items conceptually aligned with the Fried frailty phenotype, including at least 3 of the following characteristics: self-reported unintentional weight loss, exhaustion, low physical activity, and muscle weakness or impaired walking. Physical function components of the frailty score were updated a median of 10 (range, 1-18) times. Main Outcomes and Measures: Using multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards models, this study examined associations of prediagnostic frailty (at the 3-year visit, before cancer diagnosis) and prediagnostic changes in frailty (from enrollment to the 3-year visit) with mortality. Women were followed up beginning from cancer diagnosis for mortality outcomes through March 2018. In linear mixed-effects models with frailty scores as a function of time since cancer diagnosis, this study evaluated whether the time slope, ie, the rate of change in frailty score, increased after cancer diagnosis. Results: This study included 7257 women in the WHI cohort who completed frailty assessments at enrollment and the 3-year WHI visit before cancer diagnosis and subsequently developed cancer. Cancer cases included 2644 breast cancers (36%), 822 lung cancers (11%), 691 colorectal cancers (10%), 445 endometrial cancers (6%), and 286 ovarian cancers (4%). At the 3-year visit, prior to cancer diagnosis, the mean (SD) age was 63 (7) years, and 1161 of 7257 (16%) of participating women met criteria for frailty; 2129 of 7257 (29%) were prefrail, and 3967 of 7257 (55%) were nonfrail. Over a median follow-up of 5.8 years after cancer diagnosis (range, 1 day to 19.9 years), 3056 women died. After multivariable adjustment, women who were frail (vs nonfrail) before cancer diagnosis had an increased risk of mortality after cancer diagnosis (hazard ratio [HR], 1.40; 95% CI, 1.26-1.55; P for trend <.001). Sustained frailty (21% [1537 of 7257] of women) or worsening frailty (22% [1578 of 7257]) vs being consistently nonfrail (45% [3266 of 7257]) before cancer diagnosis increased the risk of mortality after cancer diagnosis (HR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.14-1.38 and 1.22; 95% CI, 1.11-1.34, respectively; P for trend <.001). In linear mixed-effects models, the rate of increase in physical frailty over time was statistically significantly higher after cancer diagnosis. Conclusions and Relevance: Sustained and worsening frailty before cancer diagnosis was associated with an increased risk of mortality after cancer diagnosis in postmenopausal women. Furthermore, the rate of decline in physical function accelerated after cancer diagnosis. Frailty assessment could provide valuable information and perhaps prompt interventions to reduce and preempt worsening of physical frailty after cancer diagnosis.

The immune contexture and Immunoscore in cancer prognosis and therapeutic efficacy.

The international American Joint Committee on Cancer/Union for International Cancer Control (AJCC/UICC) tumour-node-metastasis (TNM) staging system provides the current guidelines for the classification of cancer. However, among patients within the same stage, the clinical outcome can be very different. More recently, a novel definition of cancer has emerged, implicating at all stages a complex and dynamic interaction between tumour cells and the immune system. This has enabled the definition of the immune contexture, representing the pre-existing immune parameters associated with patient survival. Even so, the role of distinct immune cell types in modulating cancer progression is increasingly emerging. An immune-based assay named the 'Immunoscore' was defined to quantify the in situ T cell infiltrate and was demonstrated to be superior to the AJCC/UICC TNM classification for patients with colorectal cancer. This Review provides a broad overview of the main immune parameters positively or negatively shaping cancer development, including the Immunoscore, and their prognostic and predictive value. The importance of the immune system in cancer control is demonstrated by the requirement for a pre-existing intratumour adaptive immune response for effective immunotherapies, such as checkpoint inhibitors. Finally, we discuss how the combination of multiple immune parameters, rather than individual ones, might increase prognostic and/or predictive power.

Possible acquired gastrointestinal polyposis in a childhood cancer survivor.

Childhood cancer survivors (CCSs) are at an increased risk for secondary cancers, including colorectal, thyroid, lung, and breast. Treatment with abdominal radiotherapy and/or alkylating agent chemotherapy has been associated with an increased risk for colorectal adenomas and colorectal cancer (CRC) in CCSs. The phenotype of therapy-associated polyposis (TAP) is not well-understood, given the paucity of cases described in the literature. Further defining the phenotype of TAP is important to increase the primary care provider's awareness of when to begin CRC screening in these patients. We present a case of a patient with possible acquired polyposis that seems to meet the criteria identified in the literature for TAP. The purpose of this case study is to add to the body of knowledge related to TAP, further defining the phenotype. Better understanding of therapy-related risks in CCSs and hereditary predisposition will provide primary care providers and their patients with an improved plan for CRC screening.

Cytological, Colposcopic and Pathohistological Correlation of HSIL and ASC H Findings.

INTRODUCTION: Cervical cancer can be successfully prevented by timely detection of changes that precede it such as atypical (ASC-H) and high grade squamous lesions (HSIL). AIM: To investigate the correlation between Pap smear and colposcopy in the detection of premalignant and malignant cervical lesions based on a pathohistological finding. METHODS: In a retrospective study 118 patients with HSIL and ASC-H findings were examined. A Pap smear, colposcopic examination and cervical canal biopsy were performed. The study was conducted at the Gynecological Center "Dr Mahira Jahic" Tuzla and the Clinical Center Tuzla, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics. RESULTS: 1049 abnormal Pap tests were analyzed, ASCUS in 51,8% (N-544), LSIL 32,1% (N-337), HSIL 7,7% (N-81) and ASC-H 3,5% (N-37), AGC 4,8% (N-51). The mean age of the subjects with the abnormal Pap test was 46.33 ± 3.2. The age of patients with ASCUS lesion was 38,6 , LSIL 41,0, ASC-H was 47,3 , HSIL (CIN II and CIN III) 45,8 , while patients with CIS were 51,2 years. Pathological histology HSIL confirmed a high grade lesion in 67,7% (CIN II, CIN III and CIS) (N-55), in 32% (N-26) a lower grade CIN I in 18,5% and chronic cervicitis in 13,5% (N-11). In ASC-H lesion pathohistological HSIL was found in 13,5% (N-5), CIN I 13,5% (N-5) and chronic cervicitis 48,6 % (N-18). Abnormal colposcopic imaging with HSIL lesion was found in 72,9% (N-69), in 8,6% (N-7) was unsatisfactory and in 18,5% (N-15) the colposcopic finding was normal. In ASC-H lesions, abnormal colposcopic imaging was found in 40,5% (N-15), unsatisfactory findings in 10,8% (N-4), and normal findings in 48,6% (N-18). CONCLUSION: Colposcopy has proven to be better method than cytology with an accuracy of 72,9% in high-grade lesion such as HSIL and ASC-H.

Necrotizing fasciitis associated with malignancy.

Necrotizing fasciitis (NF) is a rare soft-tissue condition with a high mortality rate even with treatment. Diagnosis is challenging due to an absence of specific symptoms at the early stages of clinical presentation. NF is typically associated with traumatic injuries, superficial skin breakdown, and surgical procedures. Diabetes mellitus and immunosuppression also increase the risk of developing NF. NF predominantly occurs in the lower extremities, the peritoneum, and the perineum. Treatments include antimicrobials, supportive care, and surgical source control. It is important for clinicians to recognize the association of spontaneous atraumatic NF caused by Clostridium septicum with malignancy, so they can maintain a high index of suspicion and provide timely interventions to optimize patient outcomes.

A TGF-ß-MTA1-SOX4-EZH2 signaling axis drives epithelial-mesenchymal transition in tumor metastasis.

MTA1, SOX4, EZH2, and TGF-ß are all potent inducers of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in cancer; however, the signaling relationship among these molecules in EMT is poorly understood. Here, we investigated the function of MTA1 in cancer cells and demonstrated that MTA1 overexpression efficiently activates EMT. This activation resulted in a significant increase in the migratory and invasive properties of three different cancer cell lines through a common mechanism involving SOX4 activation, screened from a gene expression profiling analysis. We showed that both SOX4 and MTA1 are induced by TGF-ß and both are indispensable for TGF-ß-mediated EMT. Further investigation identified that MTA1 acts upstream of SOX4 in the TGF-ß pathway, emphasizing a TGF-ß-MTA1-SOX4 signaling axis in EMT induction. The histone methyltransferase EZH2, a component of the polycomb (PcG) repressive complex 2 (PRC2), was identified as a critical responsive gene of the TGF-ß-MTA1-SOX4 signaling in three different epithelial cancer cell lines, suggesting that this signaling acts broadly in cancer cells in vitro. The MTA1-SOX4-EZH2 signaling cascade was further verified in TCGA pan-cancer patient samples and in a colon cancer cDNA microarray, and activation of genes in this signaling pathway predicted an unfavorable prognosis in colon cancer patients. Collectively, our data uncover a SOX4-dependent EMT-inducing mechanism underlying MTA1-driven cancer metastasis and suggest a widespread TGF-ß-MTA1-SOX4-EZH2 signaling axis that drives EMT in various cancers. We propose that this signaling may be used as a common therapeutic target to control epithelial cancer metastasis.

Occurrence, risk factors, and outcomes of bone cement implantation syndrome after hemi and total hip arthroplasty in cancer patients.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Patients undergoing cement fixation for hip arthroplasty are at increased risk of developing bone cement implantation syndrome (BCIS). We sought to determine: what is the occurrence of BCIS in patients with cancer after hip arthroplasty? What are the risk factors in patients with cancer for the development of this syndrome? What is the outcome for patients with cancer having BCIS? METHODS: We identified 374 patients with cancer who underwent cemented hip arthroplasty between 2010 and 2014. Patient characteristics, operative variables, and outcomes were collected. RESULTS: BCIS occurred in 279 (75%) patients. A total of 353 (94%) patients had bone metastases and 179 (48%) patients had lung metastases at the time of surgery. Age greater than 60 (hazard ratio [HR] 2.09, P = .02) and the presence of lung metastases (HR 1.77, P = .019) were associated with increased risk of BCIS. Increased perioperative use of vasopressors (HR 1.72, P = .023) and increased hospital stay beyond 10 days (HR 2.67, P = .003) was associated with BCIS. CONCLUSIONS: BCIS is a frequent clinical event in patients with cancer undergoing femoral cemented arthroplasty with increased risk for patients over age 60 and those with compromised lung function due to lung metastases and lung cancer. Patients who develop BCIS are more likely to require longer postoperative hospitalization. Careful preoperative assessment and intraoperative communication are crucial steps to reduce the consequences of BCIS.

Trombosis segmentaria sigmoidea consecuente a neoplasia maligna de colon. A propósito de un caso interesante / Sigmoid segmental thrombosis consequent to colon malignant neoplasia. On the purpose of a case

RESUMEN Se presentó un caso de una paciente de 78 años de edad, procedente del municipio de Calimete, con antecedentes patológicos personales de infarto agudo miocárdico sin elevación del segmento ST e hipertensión arterial. Llegó a la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos de Emergencia, de Colón con un estado toxico infeccioso severo. Fue intervenida quirúrgicamente con el diagnóstico presuntivo de una trombosis mesentérica. Se constató dicho diagnóstico complementario a una neoplasia maligna de colon sigmoides. Falleció producto a un shock séptico refractario a aminas. En la necropsia se reportaron hallazgos de interés.

ABSTRACT The authors present the case of a 78-years-old female patient from the municipality of Calimete, with personal pathological antecedents of acute myocardial infarct without ST segment elevation and arterial hypertension. She arrived to the Emergency Intensive Care Unit of Colon with a severe toxic-infectious status. She underwent a surgery with a presumptive mesenteric thrombosis. It was stated that diagnosis, complementary to a sigmoid colon malignant neoplasia. She died as a product of an amine-refractory septic shock. The autopsy showed findings of interest.

Trombosis segmentaria sigmoidea consecuente a neoplasia maligna de colon. A propósito de un caso interesante / Sigmoid segmental thrombosis consequent to colon malignant neoplasia. On the purpose of a case

RESUMEN Se presentó un caso de una paciente de 78 años de edad, procedente del municipio de Calimete, con antecedentes patológicos personales de infarto agudo miocárdico sin elevación del segmento ST e hipertensión arterial. Llegó a la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos de Emergencia, de Colón con un estado toxico infeccioso severo. Fue intervenida quirúrgicamente con el diagnóstico presuntivo de una trombosis mesentérica. Se constató dicho diagnóstico complementario a una neoplasia maligna de colon sigmoides. Falleció producto a un shock séptico refractario a aminas. En la necropsia se reportaron hallazgos de interés (AU).

ABSTRACT The authors present the case of a 78-years-old female patient from the municipality of Calimete, with personal pathological antecedents of acute myocardial infarct without ST segment elevation and arterial hypertension. She arrived to the Emergency Intensive Care Unit of Colon with a severe toxic-infectious status. She underwent a surgery with a presumptive mesenteric thrombosis. It was stated that diagnosis, complementary to a sigmoid colon malignant neoplasia. She died as a product of an amine-refractory septic shock. The autopsy showed findings of interest (AU).

Neoplasia maligna ginecológica: incidencia en el nuevo milenio: experiencia del servicio oncológico hospitalario (IVSS) / Gynecological malignant neoplasm: incidence in the new millennium: experience of the hospital oncology service (IVSS)

Conocer los indicadores de salud, como una forma de evaluar calidad del servicio que una institución presta a la población. La incidencia, prevalencia y tasas de mortalidad, son tres elementos básicos a conocer, esto permite planificar priorizar las necesidades de una determinada población, mejorando la optimización de recursos y conocer en que eslabón de la historia natural de la enfermedad se puede actuar. Queremos determinar la incidencia registrada en nuestro servicio, desde el 2000 hasta el 2015, de cada una de las patologías malignas atendidas. Un total de 1 824 historias de un universo de 4 911; las restantes no pudieron ser revisadas, por su desincorporación del archivo activo. Apreciamos que la patología con mayor incidencia fue el cáncer de cuello uterino, con un pequeño orcentaje (10 %) iagnosticado en estadio I. Seguidamente encontramos al cáncer de endometrio representando un 12 % de los casos. Dentro de la patología de ovario, el carcinoma epitelial representó el 75 %. El carcinoma de trompa de Falopio solo el 0,3 % de todas las patologías malignas del área inecológica, similar a lo eportado en la literatura mundial. Igualmente el cáncer de vulva, vagina y sarcoma uterino, representaron un escaso porcentaje de incidencia. Este trabajo constituye una fase inicial de investigaciones futuras, en las cuales se deben calcular tasas de upervivencia y período libre de enfermedad, además de incentivar la actualización anual, para evitar sub-registro por la pérdida de datos.(AU)

To know health indicators, is a way to assess the quality of service an institution provides to the population. The incidence, the prevalence and the mortality rates are three basic known elements, which allow you to plan and prioritize the needs of a given population, the improving resource optimization and know that link the natural history of the disease can act. With our research we want to determine the impact registered in our department from the year 2000 to the year 2015, each of the malignant athologies treated. A total of 1 824 stories of a universe of 4 911 were reviewed; the other could not be reviewed by the divestiture of the active file. However, with the data analyzed appreciate that the disease was highest incidence was the cervical cancer, with a small percentage (8 %) diagnosed with stage I, and then found the endometrial cancer representing 12 % of cases. Within pathology ovarian epithelial carcinoma he represented the most frequent with 75 %. The Fallopian tube carcinoma represented only 0.3 % of all malignant gynecological pathologies area, similar to that reported in the literature. Likewise cancer of the vulva, the vagina and the uterine sarcoma, accounted for a small percentage of incidences. This paper is an initial phase of future investigations, which must be calculated survival rates and the disease-free period, in addition to encouraging the annual update, to avoid underreporting by data loss.(AU)

Tumor development in Japanese patients with Lynch syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Lynch syndrome (LS) patients have a high risk of developing various tumors. This study aimed to clarify the characteristics of tumors developing in LS patients. METHODS: This is a retrospective review of 55 LS patients treated at Tokyo Metropolitan Cancer and Infectious Diseases Center Komagome Hospital. RESULTS: The median age at the diagnosis of the first malignant tumor and first LS-related tumor was 44 (range, 19-65) and 44 (range, 24-66) years, respectively. Of the 55 LS patients with developing malignant tumors, 45 (93.8%) developed an LS-related tumor as the first malignant tumor. Colorectal cancer (CRC) developed in 47 patients (85.4%), followed by endometrial cancer (n = 13, 56.5%) in females and gastric cancer (n = 10, 18.1%). In 6 gastric cancer patients, Helicobacter pylori was detected in resected specimens. Twenty-nine patients (52.7%) developed CRC and extra-colonic tumors; of these, 15 patients (48.3%) had mutations in MLH1, 10 (58.8%) in MSH2, and 4 (57.1%) in MSH6. At the age of 50, the cumulative incidence was 50.9% [95% confidence interval (CI), 36.9-63.3%] for CRC, 17.4% (95% CI, 5.2-35.6%) for endometrial cancer, and 5.5% (95% CI, 1.4-13.8%) for gastric cancer. Eight gastric cancer, one breast cancer patient, five bladder cancer patients, and one prostate cancer patient demonstrated loss of expression of the mismatch repair (MMR) protein; patients with thyroid cancer, spindle cell sarcoma, and giant cell tumors did not demonstrate this. CONCLUSION: Gastric cancer incidence was high in Japanese patients with LS and associated with H. pylori infection. MMR protein deficiency caused the development of malignant tumors in LS patients.

Familial Risks Between Urolithiasis and Cancer.

Urolithiasis (UL, urinary tract stone disease) has been reported to increase subsequent cancers in the urinary tract. Recently, we showed data that surveillance bias may be an important confounder in the reported associations. In the present approach we want to address the question of possible cancer risk posed by UL mechanistically. Both UL and cancer have strong genetic components and we hypothesize that familial association between UL and cancer may be plausible. We thus assess familial risks between UL and cancer, hoping to find an explanation why UL may pose a risk of cancer. UL patients were identified from hospital inpatient and outpatient records and they were organized in families based on the Multigeneration Register into which also national cancer data were linked. Standardized incidence ratios were calculated for cancer in the offspring generation when parents were diagnosed with UL, and conversely for UL when parents were diagnosed with cancer. Familial risks between UL and cancer were generally small and inconsistent providing no convincing support of genetic sharing between UL and cancer. However, bladder UL was associated weakly with prostate cancer, and ureter and bladder UL were associated with salivary gland cancer. Potential mechanisms for these findings are proposed.

Interleukin-6 induces fat loss in cancer cachexia by promoting white adipose tissue lipolysis and browning.

BACKGROUND: Cancer cachexia is a progressive and multi-factorial metabolic syndrome characterized by loss of adipose tissue and skeletal muscle. White adipose tissue (WAT) lipolysis and white-to-brown transdifferentiation of WAT (WAT browning) are proposed to contribute to WAT atrophy in cancer cachexia. Chronic inflammation, mediated by cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), has been reported to promote cancer cachexia. However, whether chronic inflammation promotes cancer cachexia by regulating WAT metabolism and the underlying mechanism remains unclear. METHODS: In this study, we first analyzed the association between chronic inflammation and WAT metabolism in gastric and colorectal cancer cachectic patients. In cachectic mice treated with anti-IL-6 receptor antibody, we clarified whether WAT lipolysis and browning were regulated by IL-6. RESULTS: Clinical analyses showed positive significant association between serum IL-6 and free fatty acid (FFA) both in early- and late-stage cancer cachexia. However, serum TNF-α was positively associated with serum FFA in the early- but not late-stage cachexia. WAT lipolysis was increased in early- and late-stage cachexia, while WAT browning was detected only in late-stage cachexia. Anti-IL-6 receptor antibody inhibited WAT lipolysis and browning in cachectic mice. CONCLUSIONS: Based on these findings, we conclude that chronic inflammation (especially that mediated by IL-6) might promote cancer cachexia by regulating WAT lipolysis in early-stage cachexia and browning in late-stage cachexia.

The effect of exercise on bone mineral density in adult cancer survivors: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: Certain cancer treatments are associated with bone loss and increased fracture risk. Weight-bearing impact exercise, resistance training or the combination, are recommended to preserve or improve bone mineral density (BMD) inhealthy older adults, but their efficacy in cancer survivors is less well understood. The aim of this systematic review with meta-analysis of randomised control trials (RCT) was to review the evidence regarding the role of exercise to counteract cancer treatment-induced bone loss. METHODS: Four databases were searched systematically with 12 RCTs of at least 6-month duration investigating the effects of exercise on BMD compared to a control group in adult cancer survivors identified. RESULTS: Meta-analysis was completed using available data from six studies enrolling 814 participants, with lumbar spine, femoral neck and/or total hip BMD as the primary outcome measures. Overall, there was no significant benefit of exercise compared to controls on BMD at the lumbar spine (0.0071 g/cm , 95% CI -0.0002 to 0.0145, p = 0.057), femoral neck (0.0044 g/cm , 95% CI -0.0005 to 0.0093, p = 0.077), or total hip (0.0024 g/cm , 95% CI -0.0038 to 0.0086, p = 0.443). Subgroup analysis revealed a positive effect on lumbar spine BMD in three studies implementing a combined resistance and impact exercise intervention (0.015 g/cm , 95% CI 0.003 to 0.028, p = 0.019). CONCLUSIONS: From the evidence available, exercise may not be sufficient to improve bone health in cancer survivors, but given the heterogeneity in the participant characteristics and several exercise programs which may not have been designed to specifically optimise bone health, these findings should be interpreted with caution.

Attenuated adenomatous polyposis of the large bowel: Present and future.

Attenuated adenomatous polyposis (AAP) is a poorly understood syndrome, that can be defined as the presence of 10-99 synchronous adenomas in the large bowel, and it is considered a phenotypic variant of familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). This definition has the advantage of simplicity, but it may include sporadic multiple adenomas of the large bowel at an extreme, or FAP cases on the other side. AAP shows a milder phenotype than FAP, with an older age of onset of adenomas and cancer, and less frequent extracolonic manifestations. AAP may be diagnosed as a single case in a family or, less frequently, it may be present in other family members, and it shows distinct pattern of inheritance. In less than 50% of cases, it may be caused by adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) or MUTYH mutations, referred to as APC-associated polyposis, inherited as an autosomal dominant trait, or MUTYH-associated polyposis, which shows an autosomal recessive mechanism of inheritance, respectively. Surveillance should rely on colonoscopy at regular intervals, with removal of adenomas and careful histological examination. When removal of polyps is not possible or advanced lesions are observed, the surgical approach is mandatory, being subtotal colectomy with ileo-rectal anastomosis the treatment of choice. Studies on this syndrome are lacking, and controversies are still present on many issues, thus, other clinical and genetic studies are requested.

Cancer-induced anorexia and malaise are mediated by CGRP neurons in the parabrachial nucleus.

Anorexia is a common manifestation of chronic diseases, including cancer. Here we investigate the contribution to cancer anorexia made by calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) neurons in the parabrachial nucleus (PBN) that transmit anorexic signals. We show that CGRPPBN neurons are activated in mice implanted with Lewis lung carcinoma cells. Inactivation of CGRPPBN neurons before tumor implantation prevents anorexia and loss of lean mass, and their inhibition after symptom onset reverses anorexia. CGRPPBN neurons are also activated in Apcmin/+ mice, which develop intestinal cancer and lose weight despite the absence of reduced food intake. Inactivation of CGRPPBN neurons in Apcmin/+ mice permits hyperphagia that counteracts weight loss, revealing a role for these neurons in a 'nonanorexic' cancer model. We also demonstrate that inactivation of CGRPPBN neurons prevents lethargy, anxiety and malaise associated with cancer. These findings establish CGRPPBN neurons as key mediators of cancer-induced appetite suppression and associated behavioral changes.

Percutaneous image-guided screws meditated osteosynthesis of impeding and pathological/insufficiency fractures of the femoral neck in non-surgical cancer patients.

AIM: To present percutaneous image-guided screw-mediated osteosynthesis (PIGSMO) for fixation of impending fractures (ImF) and non-displaced/mildly displaced pathological/insufficient fractures (PF/InF) of the femoral neck in non-surgical cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a double-centre single-arm observational study. Retrospective review of electronic records identified all oncologic patients who had undergone femoral neck PIGSMO. Inclusion criteria were: non-displaced or mildly displaced PF/InF, and ImF (Mirels' score ≥8); life expectancy ≥1 month; unsuitability for surgical treatment due to sub-optimal clinical fitness, refusal of consent, or unacceptable delay to systemic therapy. RESULTS: Eleven patients were treated (mean age 63.7±13.5 years) due to ImF (63.6%, mean Mirels' score 10.1), PF (27.3%) or post-radiation InF (9.1%) under CT/fluoroscopy- (36.4%) or CBCT- (63.6%) guidance. Thirty-two screws were implanted and cement injection was added in 36.4% cases. Technical success was 90.9%. No procedure related complications were noted. At 1-month clinical follow-up (pain/walking impairment), 63.6% and 27.3% patients reported significant and mild improvement, respectively. Imaging follow-up (available in 63.6% cases) showed no signs of secondary fractures, neither of screws loosening at mean 2.8 months. Five patients (45.5%) died after PIGSMO (mean time interval 3.6 months). CONCLUSIONS: PIGSMO is technically feasible and safe in cancer patients with limited life expectancy; it offers good short-term results. Further prospective studies are required to corroborate mid- and to prove long-term efficacy of the technique.