Assessing mucosal recovery in celiac disease - Time to diagnosis and histological severity as determining factors.

Study background and objectives: There is great disparity in mucosal recovery among celiac patients on a gluten-free diet. We report a study to identify associated factors. METHODS: Celiac patient cases were collected that had positive celiac serology and villous atrophy at diagnosis, and had undergone a control biopsy after at least 12 months of follow-up. RESULTS: We included 70 celiac patients. They had experienced symptoms for 9.05 ± 9.48 years before being diagnosed. After follow-up for 2.93 ± 1.94 years, 34.3 % had complete mucosal recovery and 57.1 % had partial mucosal recovery. In the comparative analysis we found no relationship between mucosal recovery and sex, age, clinical manifestations or follow-up time from diagnosis to second biopsy. Time with clinical manifestations before diagnosis was associated with a worse outcome: 2.64 years in patients with full recovery, 4.61 years in patients with partial recovery, and 14.26 years in patients with persistent villous atrophy. Higher transglutaminase antibody titers both at diagnosis and during follow-up were associated with poorer histologic outcomes. We observed higher mucosal recovey rates in patients with mild atrophy versus severe atrophy at diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: In spite of gluten-free diet a significant proportion of patients have persistent histologic changes. Time with clinical manifestations before diagnosis is key for histological severity and recovery.

An atypical bronchogenic cyst with yeast over-infection.

Bronchogenic cysts (BC) are rare congenital anomalies that result from abnormal budding of the tracheobronchial tree during fetal development. BC are usually located in the lung and the mediastinum, an abdominal location is unusual.

Signet ring cell carcinoma in a juvenile polyp.

Juvenile polyps are hamartomatous lesions, usually unique, which appear at an early age. They are usually located in the rectosigmoid junction and are not thought to imply a higher risk of colorectal cancer. Here we report a case of signet ring cell (SRC) carcinoma in this type of lesion.

Tissue effects of glutamine in rectal cancer patients treated with preoperative chemoradiotherapy.

BACKGROUND: The aim was to evaluate the effects of glutamine on tumor regression and histological damage in patients with rectal patients following chemoradiotherapy previous to surgery. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Ten patients with rectal cancer surgically removed after chemoradiotherapy were included, a subgroup of a randomized trial that compared glutamine and placebo in the prevention of acute radiation enteritis. Samples of neoplasm and healthy tissue were evaluated by an expert pathologist searching for signs of tumor regression, muciphages, and signs of radiation-induced damage. RESULTS: There were no differences in the grade of tumor regression with either glutamine or placebo. All patients who received glutamine presented muciphages, compared with 28.6% of the placebo group (p = 0.038). Histological damage was similar in patients receiving glutamine or placebo, and between those with radiation enteritis or without toxicity. CONCLUSION: Glutamine did not exert a protective effect over chemoradiotherapy in rectal cancer or healthy rectal tissue.

Introducción: El objetivo fue evaluar los efectos de la administración de glutamina sobre la regresión tumoral y sobre el tejido sano en pacientes con cáncer rectal que recibieron quimiorradioterapia. Material y métodos: Se incluyó 10 pacientes con cáncer rectal operado después de quimiorradioterapia, un subgrupo de un ensayo clínico que comparó glutamina con placebo en la prevención de enteritis aguda. Un patólogo experto analizó las muestras de tumor y tejido sano, buscando datos de regresión tumoral, mucífagos y daño por radiación. Resultados: No hubo diferencias entre placebo y glutamina en el grado de regresión tumoral. Todos los pacientes con glutamina presentaron mucífagos, frente al 28,6% con placebo (p = 0,038). El daño sobre tejido sano fue similar en los pacientes con glutamina y placebo, y entre aquellos con y sin enteritis. Conclusión: La glutamina no ejerce un efecto protector frente a la quimiorradioterapia sobre el tumor o el tejido rectal sano.

Características clínicas, anatomopatológicas y moleculares en casos de cáncer colorrectal según localización tumoral y grado de diferenciación / Clinical, anatomopathological and molecular characteristics of colorectal cancer by tumor location and degree of differentiation

Objetivos: El cáncer colorrectal (CCR) presenta elevada incidencia y mortalidad con diferentes tendencias según localización anatómica y otras características anatomopatológicas que parecen vinculadas a cambios tanto a la exposición a factores de riesgo como al diagnóstico siendo esencial una adecuada filiación tumoral para valorar el efecto de dichos factores en la aparición, diagnóstico y progresión de la enfermedad. El objetivo fue describir las características clínicas y anatomopatológicas de pacientes diagnosticados de CCR en el Área de Salud de León en función de la localización tumoral y del grado de diferenciación. Métodos: Se estudió una serie de 408 casos de entre 25 y 85 años con diagnóstico confirmado de CCR, recogiéndose información de características clínicas y anatomopatológicas y de los biomarcadores analizados en la rutina clínica. Se realizó análisis univariable y bivariable según el grado de diferenciación y la localización tumoral. Resultados: El tamano tumoral disminuye desde colon proximal a recto (Colon Proximal = 5,13 cm: Colon Distal = 4,09cm: Recto = 3,17cm; p< 0,001) siendo el TNM también mayor en zonas proximales. Los adenocarcinomas mucinosos son más frecuentes en tumores pobremente diferenciados que en bien diferenciados (23,1% vs 5,5%). Las invasiones linfática, venosa y peritumoral son más frecuentes con menor grado de diferenciación. Conclusiones: La distribución del estadio tumoral en función de la localización tiene estadios TNM más avanzados en zonas proximales, lo que podría asociarse a una menor detección precoz en dichos casos. La asociación entre invasión venosa y linfática con el grado de diferenciación es poco conocida requiriéndose estudios que aclaren su posible interés pronóstico.

Aims: Colorectal cancer (CRC) has a high incidence and mortality, with different patterns depending on anatomical location and other pathological characteristics that appear linked to changes in exposure risk factors exposure as well as the diagnosis. All these make it essential to determine the source of the tumour to properly assess the effect of these factors in the development, diagnosis and progression of the disease. The aim was to describe the clinical and anatomical-pathological characteristics of patients diagnosed with CRC in the Health Area of Leon (ASL) based on their location and degree of tumour differentiation. Methods: Information was collected on the clinical and pathological characteristics, including biological markers analysed in clinical routine of 408 patients between 25 and 85 years with a confirmed diagnosis of CRC, and residents in ASL at least six months before diagnosis. Univariate and bivariate analyses were performed according to the degree of differentiation and tumour location. Results: Tumour size decreases from the colon to the rectum from location decline proximal colon to the rectum (Proximal Colon = 5.13cm; Distal Colon = 4.09cm; Rectum = 3.17cm, P< 0.001), with the TNM stage also being higher in proximal areas. Mucinous adenocarcinomas are more frequent in poorly differentiated than in well differentiated tumours (23.1% vs 5.5%). Lymphatic, venous and peri-tumour invasions are more common in poorly differentiated tumours. Conclusions: The distribution in accordance with the location has more advanced TNM stages in the proximal areas, which could be related to the poorer early diagnosis in proximal areas. The association between venous and lymphatic invasion with the degree of differentiation is poorly understood, and requires studies to clarify their possible prognostic interest.