Mapping psychosocial interventions in familial colorectal cancer: a rapid systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Approximately 5% of colorectal cancer (CRC) cases are part of a well-defined inherited genetic syndrome and up to approximately 30% of these cases have a clinically defined familial basis. Psychosocial interventions in familial colorectal cancer address aspects mainly focused on affective, cognitive and behavioural outcomes. The present review aims to systematically map out the available psychosocial interventions for individuals with a family history of CRC and describe the current state of the research. METHODS: An extensive electronic search was conducted to investigate the literature published until June 2020. Inclusion criteria consisted of quantitative studies published in English that explored the impact of psychosocial interventions for familial CRC, clearly defined the psychosocial intervention offered and included participants with a family history of CRC. RESULTS: The analysis included 52 articles. Genetic counselling, educational interventions, psychological interventions and multimodal interventions were identified across the studies. In terms of diagnoses, Lynch Syndrome, Familial Adenomatous Polyposis, Familial Colorectal Cancer were the main conditions included in the studies. Affective, cognitive, behavioural aspects and quality of life emerged as the most frequently explored outcomes. The studies included individuals with both personal and familial history of CRC or family history alone. CONCLUSIONS: Our rapid review provides an overview of the literature exploring the impact of psychosocial interventions for familial CRC. The psychosocial interventions identified had an overwhelmingly positive impact across all types of outcomes measured. Genetic counselling appeared to be most beneficial, and this is expected as it is purposively designed to address genetic conditions. Further quantitative analysis of primary empirical research is needed to determine the efficacy and effectiveness of psychosocial interventions as well as the mechanisms through which they exert their effect.

White-Light Endoscopy Is Adequate for Lynch Syndrome Surveillance in a Randomized and Noninferiority Study.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Dye-based pancolonic chromoendoscopy is recommended for colorectal cancer surveillance in patients with Lynch syndrome. However, there is scarce evidence to support its superiority to high-definition white-light endoscopy. We performed a prospective study assess whether in the hands of high detecting colonoscopists, high-definition, white-light endoscopy is noninferior to pancolonic chromoendoscopy for detection of adenomas in patients with Lynch syndrome. METHODS: We conducted a parallel controlled study, from July 2016 through January 2018 at 14 centers in Spain of adults with pathogenic germline variants in mismatch repair genes (60% women; mean age, 47 ± 14 years) under surveillance. Patients were randomly assigned to groups that underwent high-definition white-light endoscopy (n = 128) or pancolonic chromoendoscopy (n = 128) evaluations by 24 colonoscopists who specialized in detection of colorectal lesions in high-risk patients for colorectal cancer. Adenoma detection rates (defined as the proportion of patients with at least 1 adenoma) were compared between groups, with a noninferiority margin (relative difference) of 15%. RESULTS: We found an important overlap of confidence intervals (CIs) and no significant difference in adenoma detection rates by pancolonic chromoendoscopy (34.4%; 95% CI 26.4%-43.3%) vs white-light endoscopy (28.1%; 95% CI 21.1%-36.4%; P = .28). However, pancolonic chromoendoscopy detected serrated lesions in a significantly higher proportion of patients (37.5%; 95% CI 29.5-46.1) than white-light endoscopy (23.4%; 95% CI 16.9-31.4; P = .01). However, there were no significant differences between groups in proportions of patients found to have serrated lesions of 5 mm or larger (9.4% vs 7.0%; P = .49), of proximal location (11.7% vs 10.2%; P = .68), or sessile serrated lesions (3.9% vs 5.5%; P = .55), respectively. Total procedure and withdrawal times with pancolonic chromoendoscopy (30.7 ± 12.8 minutes and 18.3 ± 7.6 minutes, respectively) were significantly longer than with white-light endoscopy (22.4 ± 8.7 minutes and 13.5 ± 5.6 minutes; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: In a randomized parallel trial, we found that for Lynch syndrome surveillance, high-definition white-light endoscopy is not inferior to pancolonic chromoendoscopy if performed by experienced and dedicated endoscopists. ClinicalTrials.gov no: NCT02951390.

Genetic epidemiology of colorectal cancer and associated cancers.

We review here data on familial risk in colorectal cancer (CRC) generated from the Swedish Family-Cancer Database, the largest resource of its kind in the world. Although the concordant familial risk for CRC (i.e. CRC risk in families of CRC patients) has been reasonably well established, the studies on discordant familial risks (i.e. CRC risk in families with any other cancers) are rare. Because different cancers could be caused by shared genetic susceptibility or shared environment, data of associations of discordant cancers may provide useful information for identifying common risk factors. In analyses between any of 33 discordant cancers relative risks (RRs) for discordant cancers were estimated in families with increasing numbers of probands with CRC; in the reverse analyses, RRs for CRC were estimated in families with increasing numbers of probands with discordant cancers. In separate analyses, hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) families were excluded from the study, based on HNPCC related double primary cancers, to assess the residual familial RRs. We further reviewed familial risks of colon and rectal cancers separately in search for distinct discordant associations. The reviewed data suggested that colon cancer was associated with a higher familial risk for CRC compared to rectal cancer. The previous data had reported associations of CRC with melanoma, thyroid and eye cancers. Nervous system cancer was only associated with colon cancer, and lung cancer only associated with rectal cancer. The reviewed data on discordant association may provide guidance to gene identification and may help genetic counseling.

The missing heritability of familial colorectal cancer.

Pinpointing heritability factors is fundamental for the prevention and early detection of cancer. Up to one-quarter of colorectal cancers (CRCs) occur in the context of familial aggregation of this disease, suggesting a strong genetic component. Currently, only less than half of the heritability of CRC can be attributed to hereditary syndromes or common risk loci. Part of the missing heritability of this disease may be explained by the inheritance of elusive high-risk variants, polygenic inheritance, somatic mosaicism, as well as shared environmental factors, among others. A great deal of the missing heritability in CRC is expected to be addressed in the coming years with the increased application of cutting-edge next-generation sequencing technologies, routine multigene panel testing and tumour-focussed germline predisposition screening approaches. On the other hand, it will be important to define the contribution of environmental factors to familial aggregation of CRC incidence. This review provides an overview of the known genetic causes of familial CRC and aims at providing clues that explain the missing heritability of this disease.

Síndrome de Turcot / Turcotꞌs syndrome

RESUMEN Se presenta a una paciente de 27 años de edad, con varios ingresos en el Hospital Provincial Clínico Quirúrgico Docente “José Ramón López Tabrane”, de Matanzas. Por presentar clínica compatible con pólipos de colon, corroborados por videocolonoscopia, diagnosticados en marzo de 2015. Posteriormente reingresa a los 14 meses por convulsiones, al inicio generalizado y luego limitado al hemicuerpo derecho, cefalea universal y vómitos. Falleció a los 23 días de su ingreso, en los antecedentes patológicos familiares destaca madre fallecida a los 52 años por cáncer de colon y hermana a los 21 años por neoplasia maligna colorectal (AU).

ABSTRACT The case of a female patient, aged 27 years is presented. She was in-patient in the Teaching Clinical Surgical Provincial Hospital “José Ramón López Tabrane”, of Matanzas for several times presenting clinical characteristics compatible polyps in the colon, corroborated by video colonoscopy, and diagnosed in March 2015. She was readmitted 14 months later because of convulsions, generalized firstly and lately limited to the right side of the body, universal headache and vomits. She died 23 days after the admittance. The family history shows that her mother died when she was 52, due to colon cancer and her sister died at twenty one due to colorectal malignant neoplasia (AU).

Síndrome de Turcot / Turcot´s syndrome

RESUMEN Se presenta a una paciente de 27 años de edad, con varios ingresos en el Hospital Provincial Clínico Quirúrgico Docente “José Ramón López Tabrane”, de Matanzas. Por presentar clínica compatible con pólipos de colon, corroborados por videocolonoscopia, diagnosticados en marzo de 2015. Posteriormente reingresa a los 14 meses por convulsiones, al inicio generalizado y luego limitado al hemicuerpo derecho, cefalea universal y vómitos. Falleció a los 23 días de su ingreso, en los antecedentes patológicos familiares destaca madre fallecida a los 52 años por cáncer de colon y hermana a los 21 años por neoplasia maligna colorectal (AU).

ABSTRACT The case of a female patient, aged 27 years is presented. She was in-patient in the Teaching Clinical Surgical Provincial Hospital “José Ramón López Tabrane”, of Matanzas for several times presenting clinical characteristics compatible polyps in the colon, corroborated by video colonoscopy, and diagnosed in March 2015. She was readmitted 14 months later because of convulsions, generalized firstly and lately limited to the right side of the body, universal headache and vomits. She died 23 days after the admittance. The family history shows that her mother died when she was 52, due to colon cancer and her sister died at twenty one due to colorectal malignant neoplasia (AU).

Enfermedades relacionadas con la infección por Helicobacter pylori / Diseases linked to Helicobacter pylori infection

A continuación se resumen las principales conclusiones derivadas de las comunicaciones presentadas este año (2014) en la Digestive Diseases Week relacionadas con la infección por Helicobacter pylori. A pesar de la innegable disminución en la frecuencia de infección, en el futuro próximo los países desarrollados -o al menos algunas de sus subpoblaciones- seguirán teniendo una relevante prevalencia de infección. Las tasas de resistencia a la claritromicina, al metronidazol y a las quinolonas son notablemente altas en la mayoría de los países y continúan en aumento. La erradicación de H. pylori mejora los síntomas de la dispepsia funcional, aunque solo en una minoría de los pacientes; la adición de antidepresivos al tratamiento erradicador podría mejorar la respuesta a largo plazo. En los pacientes que ingresan por una hemorragia digestiva por úlcera péptica es fundamental estudiar con detalle la presencia de infección porH. pylori y administrar tratamiento erradicador lo más precozmente posible. La erradicación de H. pylorien los pacientes sometidos a una resección endoscópica de un cáncer gástrico precoz reduce la incidencia de tumores metacrónicos. Disponemos de algunas innovaciones diagnósticas, como la realización de diversas técnicas -test rápido de la ureasa, cultivo o PCR- a partir de muestras gástricas obtenidas mediante raspado de la mucosa. La eficacia del tratamiento triple estándar es claramente insuficiente y continúa en descenso. La superioridad de la terapia secuencial sobre la triple estándar no está definitivamente establecida. La terapia concomitante es más eficaz y más sencilla que la secuencial. La terapia concomitante optimizada (con altas dosis de inhibidor de la bomba de protones [IBP] y durante 14 días) es altamente efectiva, más que el tratamiento concomitante estándar. En los pacientes alérgicos a la penicilina se han descrito fundamentalmente 2 opciones terapéuticas: IBP-claritromicina-metronidazol (en cepas sensibles a la claritromicina) y cuádruple terapia con bismuto (cuando se desconoce la sensibilidad bacteriana). Tras el fracaso de la terapia triple estándar, el tratamiento de segunda línea con levofloxacino es eficaz y, además, es más sencillo y mejor tolerado que la cuádruple terapia con bismuto. La terapia triple con levofloxacino es también una prometedora alternativa tras el fracaso del tratamiento secuencial o concomitante. Las quinolonas de nueva generación, como el moxifloxacino, podrían ser útiles como integrantes del tratamiento erradicador de rescate. Incluso tras el fracaso de 3 tratamientos erradicadores, una cuarta terapia de rescate empírica (con rifabutina) puede ser efectiva. La erradicación de H. pylori se puede obtener finalmente en la inmensa mayoría de los pacientes empleando una estrategia de rescate de hasta 4 tratamientos consecutivos empíricos, sin la realización de cultivo bacteriano

Below is a summary of the main conclusions that came from reports presented at this year's Digestive Disease Week (2014) relating to Helicobacter pylori infection. Despite the undeniable decline of the infection's frequency, in the near future, developed countries -or at least some sub-populations- will continue to have a significant prevalence of the infection. Clarithromycin, metronidazole and quinolone resistance rates are considerably high in most countries and these rates are on the rise. The eradication ofH. pylori improves symptoms of functional dyspepsia, although only in a minority of patients; adding antidepressants to eradication therapy could improve long-term response. In patients who were admitted with gastrointestinal bleeding from peptic ulcers, it is necessary to thoroughly study the presence of H. pylori infection and administer eradication therapy as early as possible. Eradication of H. pylori in patients undergoing endoscopic resection of early-stage gastric cancer reduces incidence of metachronous tumors. We have some diagnostic innovations, such as carrying out various techniques -a rapid urease test, culture or PCR- based on gastric samples obtained by scraping the mucosa. The effectiveness of conventional triple therapy is clearly insufficient and continues to decline. The superiority of sequential therapy over conventional triple therapies has not been definitively established. Concomitant therapy is simpler and more effective than sequential therapy. Optimized concomitant therapy (with high doses of proton-pump inhibitors [PPI] and over 14 days) is highly effective, more so than standard concomitant therapy. For patients who are allergic to penicillin, 2 treatment options were essentially described: PPI-clarithromycin-metronidazole (clarithromycin-sensitive strains) and quadruple therapy with bismuth (when the bacterial sensitivity is unknown). If conventional triple therapy fails, second-line therapy with levofloxacin is effective and is also easier and better tolerated than quadruple therapy with bismuth. Triple therapy with levofloxacin is also a promising alternative if sequential or concomitant therapy fails. New-generation quinolones, such as moxifloxacin, could be useful as part of rescue eradication therapy. Even after 3 eradication therapies have failed, a fourth empirical rescue therapy (with rifabutin) could be effective. The eradication of H. pylori can finally be obtained in the vast majority of patients by using a rescue strategy of up to 4 consecutive empirical therapies, without conducting bacterial cultures

Loss of expression of the tumor suppressor CEACAM1 links different hereditary colorectal carcinoma subtypes to the genesis of sporadic colorectal carcinoma.

According to their carcinogenesis, colorectal cancer (CRC) subtypes show distinct molecular parameters. Hereditary non-polypous colorectal cancer (HNPCC) is the most common inherited CRC characterized by clinical criteria and confirmed microsatellite instability (MSI). Interestingly, a recently identified subtype, familial colorectal cancer type X (FCC-X), shows the same clinical criteria but microsatellite stability (MSS). CEACAM1 is a known tumor suppressor that regulates apoptosis in colon cells, and its loss is one of the most frequent events in early tumorigenesis of CRC. Therefore its loss may characterize precursor colon cells prior to neoplastic transformation. We analyzed tumor specimens of HNPCC and FCC-X patients in order to investigate whether there is a loss of CEACAM1 expression analogous to sporadic CRC and whether the expression of CEACAM1 would distinguish between these tumor entities. No differences in CEACAM1 expression were noted between HNPPC (n = 38) and FCC-X (n = 30) tumors. CEACAM1 was reduced in near-identical frequencies in 36/38 (95%) HNPCC and 29/30 (97%) FCC-X. This is the first report to demonstrate the loss of CEACAM1 expression in hereditary CRC. There was no difference between HNPCC and FCC-X. The frequency of expression loss was comparable to sporadic CRC, indicating that loss of CEACAM1 is an early event in colorectal tumorigenesis linking the genesis of sporadic and hereditary CRC.

[Cost-effectiveness evaluation of predictive molecular diagnostics using the example of hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC)]. / Kosteneffektivitätsbewertung Prädiktiver Molekulardiagnostik am Beispiel des Hereditären Nichtpolypösen Kolorektalkarzinoms (HNPCC).

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Four different diagnostic strategies, with and without various molecular diagnostic tests, are compared and contrasted not only by years gained and the cost of therapy and diagnosis, but also by the cost-effectiveness of the diagnostic strategies. METHODOLOGY: A fictitious cohort of 100,000 people, whose genetic pre-disposition leading to the development of colorectal cancer corresponds to a representative average amongst the current population, will be studied from their 1st to their 85th year. This data will be then put through Markov models specifically developed for the study. At the end of the Markov process, it will then be possible to compile a cost-effectiveness report in regard to the various diagnostic and treatment strategies. RESULTS: A tiered diagnosis (with family case history, micro-satellite instability, molecular diagnostic diagnosis of an index person and subsequent genetic analysis of all people at risk) represents the most cost-effective method at a rate of euro 3,867 per year gained. The cost-effectiveness of a purely clinical diagnosis has a rate of euro 4,397 per year gained and is followed by the cost of direct gene testing of people at risk from families at risk at a rate of euro 6,208. The worst level of cost-effectiveness, with a rate of euro 15,705, was shown by nationwide gene screening. The incremental cost-effectiveness of Strategy IV and Strategy II is euro 124,168 per gained year. CONCLUSIONS: With the scenarios put forward we can show that a 65% reduction in gene test costs is necessary in order for a cost-effective nationwide gene screening for HNPCC to take place. The break-even level, however, depends only on a few cost-effectiveness drivers such as screening and therapy costs, proportion of HNPCC of all colorectal cancer and discounting rate. Should these changes (e.g., through a restructured medical environment), then we would see such a change in the break-even cost of a gene test and that a cost-effective nationwide gene screening could be made plausible. In a final evaluation of the use of predictive molecular diagnostics, other dimensions (such as possible psychological problems and discriminatory risks) apart from cost-effectiveness should also be included.

Microsatellite instability: new aspects in the carcinogenesis of colorectal carcinoma.

Very recently a new molecular mechanism in the tumorigenesis of colorectal carcinoma has been described which is closely linked to hereditary non-polyposis colonic cancer (HNPCC). Ubiquitous changes in the length of simple repetitive DNA sequences between constitutional and tumour DNA occur in about 90% of cases of HNPCC and in about 15% of cases of non-familial, sporadic colorectal carcinoma. Such microsatellite instabilities have been shown to be the phenotypical marker of mutations in the human homologues of prokaryotic mismatch repair genes (MutS, MutL, MutH). These data provide crucial new tools in the detection of patients at high risk of developing colon cancer and other HNPCC-related carcinomas. In addition, these developments provide new insights into a new, presumably primary event in oncogenesis, i.e. the occurrence of mutations in genomic stability genes leading to an increased cellular mutation rate ("mutator phenotype") and thus to cancer.

Neonatal colorectal spindle cell sarcoma.

Intestinal spindle cell sarcomas occur very rarely in the neonatal period. There have been 10 previous reported cases. A neonate with colorectal spindle cell sarcoma is reported. The clinical features of the 11 cases and the prognosis of the tumor are discussed.