Neuroendocrine Tumor: A Rare, Aggressive Tumor of the Gallbladder.

We report a case of rare and aggressive gallbladder neuroendocrine carcinoma (GB-NEC), diagnosed with the help of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS). A 65-year-old asymptomatic male, with a past medical history of hypertension, underwent abdominal ultrasound for the screening of an abdominal aortic aneurysm. He was found to have a mixed echogenicity area near the stomach, an incidental finding on abdominal ultrasound. The patient had an upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy exam, which revealed an antral mass that was biopsied. The tissue specimen showed an epithelioid mesenchymal tumor of unclassified type and, eventually, the patient underwent partial gastrectomy. Surgical pathology reported a low-grade sub-serosal gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) of the resected tissue specimen. He was later discharged and advised to follow up with abdominal computed tomography (CT) every year. Two years later, his abdominal CT revealed a new 3.7 cm x 2.0 cm mass in the posterior gallbladder fundus. Subsequently, the patient underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy and the excisional biopsy reported a T3NXM1 neuroendocrine small cell carcinoma. Then, he received six cycles of systemic chemotherapy with carboplatin and etoposide, showing excellent response initially. However, a repeat CT abdomen/pelvis with contrast, on his eighth-month follow-up, demonstrated the interval development of an infiltrative mass in the pancreatic head. The gastroenterology team was then consulted, who performed sphincterotomy with temporary stent placement and celiac plexus neurolysis. Also, a transduodenal fine-needle aspiration (FNA) of the pancreatic mass was performed, which revealed metastatic small cell carcinoma. Based on these findings, the patient received an additional three cycles of carboplatin/etoposide chemotherapy, along with one cycle of immunotherapy. However, the patient had a poor response to chemotherapy, and he eventually chose hospice care.

Newer Trends in Pancreatic Cancer Treatment: Genetic Alterations and the Role of Immune Therapeutic and Targeted Therapies.

Pancreatic cancer prognosis has remained poor and no significant improvement has been achieved over the past two decades. A number of genetic alterations are found in pancreatic cancer with a complex genome and proteome that needs further research investigation and discovery. There is an urgent need for innovative research findings that would increase the 5-year survival rate in patients with pancreatic ductal carcinoma, which in fact has seen only small increments over the past two decades. Targeting the tumor and modifying the stroma could help improve therapy responses. Genomic medicine is useful in a fraction of patients currently; however, the newer proteomic approaches are potentially more likely to help the majority of patients in the future. Future treatments of pancreatic cancer will likely be based on the development of novel therapies per genomic and proteomic identifications of cellular/immunological processes and molecular pathways as therapeutic targets. Herein, we systematically review the newer trends in pancreatic cancer treatment with emphasis on the genetic alterations and role of immune therapeutics and targeted therapies.

Gemcitabine: A Review of Chemoresistance in Pancreatic Cancer.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, an exocrine tumor, is the most common type of cancer of the pancreas and one of the top five most prominent causes of cancer-associated mortality worldwide. The survival rate for pancreatic cancer is sadly less than 8%. The high fatality rate is partly related to late diagnosis and partly to the aggressive nature of malignant cells that disseminate to nearby tissues at an early stage of the disease, making treatment difficult. Available treatment choices consist of both medical and surgical: removal of the tumor, use of various medications like chemotherapeutic drugs and immunotherapeutic agents, radiation therapy, and targeted drug therapy. Since most patients suffer from advanced cancer at the time of diagnosis, chemotherapy becomes the primary therapeutic option in such cases. Drugs like Gemcitabine, Abraxane, FOLFIRINOX, and newer combination therapies are all effective in management, either curatively or palliatively. However, chemoresistance poses a significant challenge. Several factors, both intrinsic and acquired, are involved in drug resistance. Here, we review the mechanism of action of the first-line chemotherapy drugs in pancreatic cancer and various factors associated with cancer chemoresistance.

Pancreatic necrosis: Complications and changing trend of treatment.

Incidence of acute pancreatitis seems to be increasing in the Western countries and has been associated with significantly increased morbidity. Nearly 80% of the patients with acute pancreatitis undergo resolution; some develop complications including pancreatic necrosis. Infection of pancreatic necrosis is the leading cause of death in these patients. A significant portion of these patients needs surgical interventions. Traditionally, the "gold standard" procedure has been the open surgical necrosectomy, which is now being completed by the relatively lesser invasive interventions. Minimally invasive surgical (MIS) procedures include endoscopic drainage, percutaneous image-guided catheter drainage, and retroperitoneal drainage. This review article discusses the open and MIS interventions for pancreatic necrosis with each having its own respective benefits and disadvantages are covered.