Project description:Purpose of reviewLiver transplantation has emerged as a possible treatment for selected patients with nonresectable colorectal liver metastasis, but controversy still exists regarding optimal selection criteria and acceptable outcomes.Recent findingsUnivariate analysis in the largest cohorts confirms that metachronous disease, Oslo score = 0-1, metabolic tumor volume (MTV) less than 70 cm 3 , and tumor burden score less than 9 are positive predictive factors for good overall survival outcomes. Some recent trials might suggest that technical resectability is not a valid exclusion criterion for patients with high tumor load and favorable prognostic scores in the transplant evaluation. Recent developments in circulation DNA technology and liquid biopsy may play a future role in the selection and monitoring of patients.SummaryEvaluation for transplant needs multidisciplinary involvement and should not be delayed until the failure of conventional oncological therapy. Larger data sets are needed to refine the selection criteria for liver transplantation in colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM).
Project description:BACKGROUND: The most common site of colorectal extra-abdominal metastases is the lung. The relative risk of lung metastases after resection and cryotherapy has not previously been compared. METHODS: All patients underwent an extensive preoperative staging including clinical examination, abdominal computed tomography (CT) and abdominal angio-CT to assess their hepatic disease. Two groups of patients were compared in this study (hepatic resection alone and hepatic cryotherapy with or without resection). A retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data was performed to assess the incidence and disease-free interval of pulmonary metastasis after surgical treatment of colorectal liver metastasis. RESULTS: This paper clearly shows two differences regarding pulmonary metastases between patients treated with resection only and cryotherapy with or without resection. Among the 10 clinical variables, cryotherapy had the greatest correlation with pulmonary metastases (p=0.004). A patient who undergoes hepatic resection only has a probability of 35% for developing pulmonary recurrence, compared with 51% following cryotherapy. Cryotherapy was also independently associated with shorter pulmonary disease-free interval (p=0.036). CONCLUSION: There clearly is a higher risk of pulmonary metastasis after cryotherapy than after resection, whether this is related to selection of patients or a direct deleterious procedural effect requires more study.
Project description:Expression profiles of colorectal liver metastasis samples collected from Paul Brousse Hospital (France) and University Hospital Utrecht (The Netherlands). Patients are divided into a high-risk (DFS < 1 year) and a low-risk group (DFS < 1 year).
Project description:Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, largely due to the development of colorectal liver metastases (CRLM). For the establishment of CRLM, CRC cells must remodel their tumor-microenvironment (TME), avoid the immune system, invade the underlying stroma, survive the hostile environment of the circulation, extravasate into the liver, reprogram the hepatic microenvironment into a permissive pre-metastatic niche, and finally, awake from a dormant state to grow out into clinically detectable CRLM. These steps form part of the invasion-metastasis cascade that relies on reciprocal interactions between the tumor and its ever-changing microenvironment. Such interplay provides a strong rational for therapeutically targeting the TME. In fact, several TME constituents, such as VEGF, TGF-β coreceptor endoglin, and CXCR4, are already targeted in clinical trials. It is, however, of utmost importance to fully understand the complex interactions in the invasion-metastasis cascade to identify novel potential therapeutic targets and prevent the establishment of CRLM, which may ultimately greatly improve patient outcome.
Project description:Aim of the study was to examine the expression of calsequestrin isoforms in zebrafish adult brain. By quantitative PCR we found three RNA transcripts coding for Casq1a, Casq1b and Casq2. In brain homogenate, two protein isoforms were detected by western blotting and mass spectrometry. Whole brain fractionation experiments revealed that Casq2 isoform was enriched in a heavy fraction containing microsomes and synaptic membranes, while Casq1a was recovered also in a light cytosolic-enriched fraction. By immunofluorescence, we found that calsequestrins show different cellular localization and we confirmed heterogeneous cell expression of Casq1a and Casq2 mRNA by in situ hybridization. Both isoforms were expressed in cerebellum, and cerebellum-like structures of the brain, Casq2 more concentrated in Purkinje cells, and Casq1 equally distributed in granular and Purkinje cells. At sub cellular level, in Purkinje cells, Casq2 was localized in cell bodies, dendrites and axons, while Casq1 was restricted to cell bodies and axons. Data are discussed in relation to the heterogeneous cellular and subcellular distribution of other Calcium store markers of cerebellum and are evaluated with respect to the relevance of calsequestrins in neuron-specific functional activity.
Project description:BackgroundThe role of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) in primary colorectal cancer (CRC) and colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM) has remained unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate HIF-1α expression and its association with prognosis in patients with CRLM with a focus on hepatic stellate cells (HSCs).MethodsColon cancer cells were cultured in HSC-conditioned medium (CM), and HIF-1α expression and cell migration were analyzed. Seventy-five patients with CRLM who underwent an initial curative hepatectomy were enrolled. We examined HIF-1α expressions and patient prognosis between primary CRCs and the matched liver metastatic specimens.ResultsActivated HSCs induced HIF-1α mRNA and protein expression in colon cancer cells (p < 0.01) and promoted cell migration (p < 0.01). The positive rates of HIF-1α expression in primary CRCs and liver metastases were 68.0 and 72.0%, respectively. There were no differences in overall (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) of HIF-1α expression in primary CRC. However, HIF-1α expression in liver metastasis correlated to poor prognosis in both OS and DFS. Furthermore, patients with HIF-1α positive expression in liver metastasis had poor prognosis.ConclusionHIF-1α expression in liver metastasis determines poor prognosis of CRLM patients. HSCs might play a key role in aggressive phenotypes of tumor cells.
Project description:Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most frequently occurring malignancy tumors with a high morbidity additionally, CRC patients may develop liver metastasis, which is the major cause of death. Despite significant advances in diagnostic and therapeutic techniques, the survival rate of colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM) patients remains very low. CRLM, as a complex cascade reaction process involving multiple factors and procedures, has complex and diverse molecular mechanisms. In this review, we summarize the mechanisms/pathophysiology, diagnosis, treatment of CRLM. We also focus on an overview of the recent advances in understanding the molecular basis of CRLM with a special emphasis on tumor microenvironment and promise of newer targeted therapies for CRLM, further improving the prognosis of CRLM patients.
Project description:PurposeWe assessed differences in structural characteristics, quality improvement processes, and cardiovascular preventive care by ownership type among 989 small to medium primary care practices.MethodsThis cross-sectional analysis used electronic health record and survey data collected between September 2015 and April 2017 as part of an evaluation of the EvidenceNOW: Advancing Heart Health in Primary Care Initiative by the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality. We compared physician-owned practices, health system or medical group practices, and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) by using 15 survey-based practice characteristic measures, 9 survey-based quality improvement process measures, and 4 electronic health record-based cardiovascular disease prevention quality measures, namely, aspirin prescription, blood pressure control, cholesterol management, and smoking cessation support (ABCS).ResultsPhysician-owned practices were more likely to be solo (45.0% compared with 8.1%, P < .001 for health system practices and 12.8%, P = .009 for FQHCs) and less likely to have experienced a major change (eg, moved to a new location) in the last year (43.1% vs 65.4%, P = .01 and 72.1%, P = .001, respectively). FQHCs reported the highest use of quality improvement processes, followed by health system practices. ABCS performance was similar across ownership type, with the exception of smoking cessation support (51.0% for physician-owned practices vs 67.3%, P = .004 for health system practices and 69.3%, P = .004 for FQHCs).ConclusionsPrimary care practice ownership was associated with differences in quality improvement process measures, with FQHCs reporting the highest use of such quality-improvement strategies. ABCS were mostly unrelated to ownership, suggesting a complex path between quality improvement strategies and outcomes.