Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic during Spain's state of emergency on the diagnosis of colorectal cancer.

INTRODUCTION: We evaluate the impact of COVID-epidemic in colorectal cancer (CRC) diagnosis during Spain's state of emergency. METHODS: We compared newly diagnosed patients with patients diagnosed in the same period of 2019. RESULTS: A new diagnosis of CRC decreased 48% with a higher rate of patients diagnosed in the emergency setting (12.1% vs. 3.6%; p = .048) and a lower rate diagnosed in the screening program (5.2% vs. 33.3%; p = .000). CONCLUSIONS: Fewer patients have been diagnosed with CRC, with a higher rate of patients diagnosed in an emergency setting.

[10-day triple therapy with esomeprazole 40 mg/12 h vs. quadruple concomitant non-bismuth therapy as first line treatment for Helicobacter pylori infection]. / Triple terapia 10 días con esomeprazol 40 mg/12 h vs. cuádruple concomitante sin bismuto como tratamiento de primera línea de la infección por Helicobacter pylori.

INTRODUCTION: Quadruple concomitant non-bismuth therapy has recently become the most widely prescribed first-line treatment for Helicobacter pylori infection in Spain. Whether optimized conventional triple therapy can achieve comparable efficacy rates remains to be seen. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Retrospective study comparing the efficacy of triple and quadruple concomitant therapy, and sub-analysis following administration of both for 10 days with esomeprazole 40mg/12h. RESULTS: A first-line therapy was administered to 657 patients from 1st January 2012 to 31st December 2014. Quadruple therapy (n=371) showed higher efficacy than triple therapy (n=248) for both intention-to-treat (85.9% vs. 65.7%; P<.001) and per protocol analysis (92.5% vs. 68.4%; P<.001). When both therapies included esomeprazole 40mg/12h administered for 10 days, quadruple concomitant therapy (n=108) also had higher efficacy than triple therapy (n=76) for intention-to-treat (90.7% vs. 73.6%; P=.003) and per protocol analysis (92.5% vs.74.6%; P=.002). CONCLUSIONS: Quadruple concomitant therapy with high dose proton pump inhibitor (PPI) for 10 days achieves a significantly higher eradication outcome than optimized triple therapy, with rates of over 90% when the PPI prescribed is esomeprazole 40mg/12h.