Prediction of synchronous colorectal cancers by computed tomography in subjects receiving an incomplete colonoscopy: a single-center study.

AIM: To assess the value of computed tomography (CT) for diagnosis of synchronous colorectal cancers (SCRCs) involving incomplete colonoscopy. METHODS: A total of 2123 cases of colorectal cancer (CRC) were reviewed and divided into two groups according to whether a complete or incomplete colonoscopy was performed. CT results and final histological findings were compared to calculate the sensitivity and specificity associated with CT for detection of SCRCs following complete vs incomplete colonoscopy. Factors affecting the CT detection were also analyzed. RESULTS: Three hundred and seventy-four CRC patients underwent incomplete colonoscopy and 1749 received complete colonoscopy. Fifty-six cases of SCRCs were identified by CT, and 36 were missed. In the incomplete colonoscopy group, the sensitivity and specificity of CT were 44.8% and 93.6%, respectively. The positive and negative predictive values were 23.6% and 95.0%, respectively. In contrast, the sensitivity and specificity of CT for the complete colonoscopy group were 68.3% and 97.0%, while the positive and negative predictive values were 22.2% and 98.7%, respectively. In both groups, the mean maximum dimension of the concurrent cancers identified in the CT-negative cases was shorter than in the CT-positive cases (incomplete group: P = 0.02; complete group: P < 0.01) Topographical proximity to synchronous cancers was identified as a risk factor for missed diagnosis (P = 0.03). CONCLUSION: CT has limited sensitivity in detecting SCRCs in patients receiving incomplete colonoscopy. Patients with risk factors and negative CT results should be closely examined and monitored.

MicroRNA-182 inhibits proliferation through targeting oncogenic ANUBL1 in gastric cancer.

MicroRNA-182 (miR-182) is significantly downregulated in human gastric tissue samples. Overexpression of miR-182 suppresses the proliferation and colony formation of gastric cancer cells. However, new aspects of the mechanism are still emerging in gastric cancer. ANUBL1, also known as ZFAND4 (zinc finger, AN1-type domain 4), its roles are scarely reported in cancer. In this study, we not only showed that ANUBL1 as an oncogene was upregulated and could promote proliferation of SGC-7901 cells, but also demonstrated that its over-expression led to a strong decrease of miR-182 expression and expression of ANUBL1 was in turn directly downregulated by miR-182, thereby establishing a negative feedback loop between miR-182 and ANUBL1. The elucidation of the mechanisms of miR-182 targeting ANUBL1 in gastric cancer helps us to further understand the mechanism of gastric cancer initiation and progression.

Overexpression of long non-coding RNA MALAT1 is correlated with clinical progression and unfavorable prognosis in pancreatic cancer.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been proved to serve as a critical role in cancer development and progression. However, little is known about the pathological role of lncRNA metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) in pancreatic cancer patients. The aims of this study are to measure the expression of lncRNA MALAT1 in pancreatic cancer patients and to explore the clinical significance of the lncRNA MALAT1. Using qRT-PCR, the expression of lncRNA MALAT1 was measured in 126 pancreatic cancer tissues and 15 adjacent non-cancerous tissues. In the present study, our results indicated that lncRNA MALAT1 was highly expressed in pancreatic cancer compared with adjacent non-cancerous tissues (P < 0.001), and positively correlated with clinical stage (early stages vs. advanced stages, P < 0.001), tumor size (<2 vs. ≥2 cm, P = 0.004), lymph node metastasis (negative vs. positive, P < 0.001), and distant metastasis (absent vs. present, P = 0.001) in pancreatic cancer patients. Furthermore, we also found that lncRNA MALAT1 overexpression was an unfavorable prognostic factor in pancreatic cancer patients (P < 0.001), regardless of clinical stage, tumor size, lymph node metastasis, and distant metastasis. Finally, increased lncRNA MALAT1 expression was an independent poor prognostic factor for pancreatic patients through multivariate analysis (P = 0.018). In conclusion, overexpression of lncRNA MALAT1 serves as an unfavorable prognostic biomarker in pancreatic cancer patients.

Efficacy of endoscopic nasobiliary drainage for the prevention of post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis and cholangitis after repeated clearance of common bile duct stones: experience from a Chinese center.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to investigate whether it is reasonable to insert an endoscopic nasobiliary drainage (ENBD) tube in patients with endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST) and repeated clearance of common bile duct (CBD) stones. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with choledocholithiasis who underwent EST and CBD stone clearance at our center from January 2010 to May 2012 were reviewed. The following parameters were evaluated: (i) serum amylase 2 and 24 h after ERCP; (ii) incidence of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)-related pancreatitis and cholangitis; (iii) time elapsed to normalization of total serum bilirubin levels for those with jaundice before ERCP; and (iv) length of hospital stay. RESULTS: Compared with the no-ENBD group, the ENBD group presented a significantly lower postoperative serum amylase of 2 and 24 h (81.3 ± 31.8 U/L vs 90.8 ± 31.2 U/L, 107.0 ± 51.1 U/Lvs 132.3 ± 100.8 U/L, respectively). The incidence of post-ERCP pancreatitis and cholangitis was also lower in the ENBD group, although the differences were not significant (1% vs 4.4%, 0 vs 4.5%, respectively). Time elapsed to normalization of total serum bilirubin levels and length of hospital stay was shorter in the ENBD group (4.3 days ± 0.6 days vs 4.5 days ± 0.7 days, P > 0.05; 4.8 days ± 2.1 days vs 6.3 days ± 2.8 days, respectively, P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: ENBD significantly reduces the incidence of hyperamylasemia and decreases the length of hospital stay in patients with EST and repeated stone extraction. ENBD should be considered for patients with large or multiple CBD stones.