Relationship between age and the histopathological features to chemotherapy response in colorectal cancer patients: a prospective observational study

Introduction: Chemotherapy response in early age-onset colorectal cancer patients is still controversial, and the results of chemotherapy response are unknown. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between the age of colorectal cancer patients and histopathological features and chemotherapy response. Methods: This is a prospective observational study. The subjects in this study were colorectal cancer patients in the Digestive Surgery division at Tertiary Hospital in West Java from September 2021 to September 2022. Results: There were 86 subjects who underwent chemotherapy in accordance with the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Consisting of 39 patients of early age onset and 44 female patients. The most common histopathological feature in early age onset (EAO) and late age onset (LAO) was adenocarcinoma (25% and 46%, respectively). Stage III colorectal cancer affected 38 patients, while stage IV affected 48 patients. There was a significant relationship between early age onset and late age onset with histological features (p < 0.001). The patients with the highest chemotherapy response had stable diseases in EAO (17 patients) and LAO (20 patients). There was no statistically significant relationship between age, histological features, and stage of colorectal cancer and chemotherapy response (p > 0.05). The results of the ordinal logistic regression test showed no systematic relationship between chemotherapy response and age, histopathological features, gender, or cancer stage (p > 0.05). Conclusion: There was no association between age and histopathologic features with chemotherapy response and there is no difference in chemotherapy response between early and late age onset. (AU)

Effect of vitamin C inhibiting liver fibrosis and lipid peroxidation in biliary obstruction of Wistar rats

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential inhibiting effects of vitamin C as an antioxidant against liver fibrosis and lipid peroxidation in the bile duct ligation- induced biliary obstruction of Wistar rats.Methods: A total of 25 male Wistar albino rats were divided into five groups: sham operated, control (bile duct ligation/BDL) without given vitamin C, BDL with vitamin C 75 mg, BDL with vitamin C 150 mg, and BDL with vitamin C 225 mg. Each group contained 5 animals. Vitamin C was given orally on day 3 after operation and after 14 days following vitamin C administration, all animals were performed laparotomy to obtain liver tissue samples for histopathological investigation of liver fibrosis and blood samples for malondialdehyde (MDA) as lipid peroxidation measurement.Results: The changes demonstrating hepatic fibrosis including moderate to markedly thickened wall of central veins, localized to diffuse perisinusoidal fibrosis, enlarged portal track, increased number of septa, and thickened width of septa were observed in BDL groups. MDA measurement were also observed in all groups. Treatment of biliary obstruction in BDL groups with vitamin C given orally attenuated liver damage. Both the MDA measurement and histopathologic investigation of hepatic fibrosis were observed to be reduced with the vitamin C treatment.Conclusions: Our data indicate that vitamin C inhibited liver fibrosis and lipid peroxidation in bile duct ligation-induced biliary obstruction of Wistar rats.