Colonic stenting for a malignant large bowel obstruction with pneumatosis coli to reduce surgical risk.

Patients with a malignant large bowel obstruction are often late in seeking medical attention and are usually in poor health by the time a complete blockage is apparent. Emergency surgery in this setting, particularly in a patient with significant comorbidities, often requires the creation of an ostomy and can result in postoperative complications that delay the administration of adjuvant chemotherapy. This recent case at our center illustrates how the use of a colon stent, as a bridge to surgery, can help patients avoid the need for a stoma and reduce surgical complications.

MOLECULAR BASIS OF HEREDITARY COLORECTAL CANCER.

Advances in molecular biology have defined the molecular basis for colorectal cancer (CRC). Though only a fraction of CRC has been determined to have a hereditary component, the discovery of genetic alterations in these clinical syndromes has permitted definition of similar discoveries in sporadic CRC. Here we will delineate the molecular basis for the most common of these defined syndromes, including familial adenomatous polyposis, hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer, MUTYH associated polyposis, Juvenile polyposis, Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, and Cowden's syndrome. The newest paradigm with implications for the pathogenesis of sporadic CRC is called the cancer stem cell hypothesis. As this paradigm also implicates aberrations in molecular pathways, a brief discussion of this hypothesis is included.