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Cureus May 2020Lipomas of the gastrointestinal tract are uncommon, benign non-epithelial tumors detected incidentally during surgery or endoscopy. Rectal lipomas are extremely rare....
Lipomas of the gastrointestinal tract are uncommon, benign non-epithelial tumors detected incidentally during surgery or endoscopy. Rectal lipomas are extremely rare. Patients may be asymptomatic or present with rectal bleeding, constipation, tenesmus and signs of intestinal obstruction. Preoperative diagnosis is challenging. Management consists of simple observation, endoscopic or laparoscopic removal, and open surgery. We present a case of an elderly male admitted to the Department of Surgery of a general hospital in Crete, complaining of a protruding rectal mass during defecation. CT raised the diagnostic suspicion. The mass was removed by trans-anal excision. Histopathology of the resected specimen confirmed the diagnosis. The patient had an uneventful postoperative course and was discharged home at the second postoperative day.
PubMed: 32617237
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.8366 -
Journal of Surgical Case Reports Apr 2023This article reports on a 76-year-old male patient diagnosed with a mucocele of the appendix. A mucocele of the appendix is a benign fluid-filled swelling caused by the...
This article reports on a 76-year-old male patient diagnosed with a mucocele of the appendix. A mucocele of the appendix is a benign fluid-filled swelling caused by the accumulation of mucus in the appendix due to a blockage in its discharge route. The patient presented with symptoms of chronic constipation and rectal tenesmus and was diagnosed through physical examination, imaging studies and laboratory tests. The patient underwent an open ileocolectomy procedure to remove the affected appendix. The results of the histopathological analysis showed a confined low-grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasm. The overall survival rate after surgery for mucocele of the appendix is excellent, with a low recurrence rate.
PubMed: 37064069
DOI: 10.1093/jscr/rjad171 -
Clinical and Translational Radiation... Jul 2021Pelvic radiotherapy (RT) often results in gastrointestinal toxicity and clinical trials have demonstrated a potential benefit of dietary supplements in alleviating acute...
The role of dietary supplements, including biotics, glutamine, polyunsaturated fatty acids and polyphenols, in reducing gastrointestinal side effects in patients undergoing pelvic radiotherapy: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Pelvic radiotherapy (RT) often results in gastrointestinal toxicity and clinical trials have demonstrated a potential benefit of dietary supplements in alleviating acute effects. However, no prophylactic agents have been approved to date for relief of gastrointestinal side-effects caused by pelvic radiation. In this systematic review, we evaluated the efficacy of dietary supplements in preventing or alleviating symptoms of gastrointestinal toxicity in patients undergoing pelvic RT.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched up to June 2020 for randomised controlled trials. Interventions included four supplement categories: biotics, glutamine, poly-unsaturated fatty acids and polyphenols. Efficacy was determined with reference to outcomes based on symptoms of acute gastrointestinal toxicity, including diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, flatulence/bloating, bowel movement frequency, tenesmus and rectal bleeding.
RESULTS
Twenty-three randomised controlled trials (1919 patients) were identified in this review. Compared with placebo, probiotics (RR = 0.71; 95% CI: 0.52 to 0.99), synbiotics (RR = 0.45; 95% CI: 0.28 to 0.73) and polyphenols (RR = 0.30; 95% CI: 0.13 to 0.70) were significantly associated with a lower risk of diarrhoea. Biotic supplements also reduced the risk of moderate to severe diarrhoea (RR = 0.49; 95% CI: 0.36 to 0.67) and the need for anti-diarrhoeal medication (RR = 0.64; 95%CI: 0.44 to 0.92). In contrast, glutamine had no effect on acute symptoms (RR = 1.05; 95% CI: 0.86 to 1.29). There was a non-significant trend for reduction in nausea and mean bowel movements per day using dietary supplements.
CONCLUSIONS
Biotic supplements, especially probiotics and synbiotics, reduce acute symptoms of gastrointestinal toxicity in patients undergoing pelvic radiotherapy.
PubMed: 34027139
DOI: 10.1016/j.ctro.2021.04.006 -
Acta Gastro-enterologica Belgica 2020Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women but gastro- intestinal metastases of breast cancer are rare. They can occur years after the diagnosis or at the...
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women but gastro- intestinal metastases of breast cancer are rare. They can occur years after the diagnosis or at the diagnosis of breast cancer. We report the case of a patient complaining of dyschesia, tenesmus and anal incontinence leading to the discovery of a rectal metastasis of an unknown breast neoplasia. Given the oligo-metastatic condition, multidisciplinary and aggressive management was the chosen therapy.
Topics: Breast Neoplasms; Carcinoma, Lobular; Female; Humans; Rectal Neoplasms; Rectum
PubMed: 32603055
DOI: No ID Found -
Therapeutic Advances in Medical Oncology 2020This study aims to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a new neoadjuvant regimen (FOLFOX4 plus hypofractionated tomotherapy) in patients with locally advanced rectal...
AIMS
This study aims to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a new neoadjuvant regimen (FOLFOX4 plus hypofractionated tomotherapy) in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer.
METHODS
Patients with stage II-III rectal cancer were treated with the pre-operative chemoradiotherapy regimen comprising FOLFOX4 (two cycles), TomoTherapy (25 Gy in five consecutive fractions, one fraction per day in 5 days on the clinical target volume at the isodose of 95% of the total dose), FOLFOX4 (two cycles), followed by surgery with total mesorectal excision and adjuvant chemotherapy with FOLFOX4 (eight cycles). The primary endpoint was pathological complete response (pCR).
RESULTS
Fifty-two patients were enrolled and 50 patients were evaluable. A total of 46 (92%) patients completed chemoradiotherapy according to the study protocol and 49 patients underwent surgery. Overall, 12 patients achieved a pCR (24.5%, 95% CI 12.5-36.5). The most common grade 3 or more adverse events were neutropenia and alteration of the alvus. Adverse reactions due to radiotherapy, mainly grade 1-2 dermatitis, tenesmus, urinary dysfunction and pain, were tolerable and fully reversible. The most important surgical complications included infection, anastomotic leakage and fistula, all resolved with conservative treatment.
CONCLUSION
FOLFOX and hypofractionated TomoTherapy is effective and safe in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer. Long-term efficacy needs to be further evaluated.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02000050 (registration date: 26 November 2013) https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02000050.
PubMed: 33343722
DOI: 10.1177/1758835920977139 -
Einstein (Sao Paulo, Brazil) 2023Tailgut cysts are rare congenital lesions that are remnants of the embryonic hindgut. This abnormality presents with non-specific symptoms or no symptoms; therefore,...
Tailgut cysts are rare congenital lesions that are remnants of the embryonic hindgut. This abnormality presents with non-specific symptoms or no symptoms; therefore, misdiagnosis is common. Here, we present four cases of tailgut cysts that were successfully removed using a robotic surgical approach. A 42-year-old woman with tenesmus, pain in the right gluteal region, and discomfort in the rectal region during evacuation was referred to our medical center. Another patient was a 28-year-old woman who presented with the same symptoms to our general practitioner. Both patients underwent upper abdominal and pelvic magnetic resonance imaging that revealed a tailgut cyst. Further, a 36-year-old woman was referred with coccyx and hypogastric pain. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed two pararectal cystic formations. She underwent robot-assisted surgery, and after analysis by a pathologist, the conclusion was that the tailgut cyst was associated with scarring fibrosis. A 55-year-old woman with posterior epigastric pelvic pain associated with heartburn underwent robot-assisted surgery to resect a retroperitoneal tumor. These cases highlighted the importance of tailgut cysts in the differential diagnosis of rectal lesions. Surgical treatment is preferred because malignant transformations can occur. The difference between laparoscopic and robotic approaches is the better visualization and stability of the latter, inducing less tissue damage. Robotic resection is a safe procedure, especially in patients with a narrow pelvis, because it reduces tissue damage.
Topics: Female; Humans; Adult; Middle Aged; Robotic Surgical Procedures; Brazil; Rectal Diseases; Cysts; Pelvic Pain; Abdominal Pain
PubMed: 37970955
DOI: 10.31744/einstein_journal/2023RC0544 -
World Journal of Clinical Oncology Dec 2020Abdominoperineal excision (APE)-related hemorrhage can be challenging due to difficult access to pelvic organs and the risk of massive blood loss. The objective of the...
BACKGROUND
Abdominoperineal excision (APE)-related hemorrhage can be challenging due to difficult access to pelvic organs and the risk of massive blood loss. The objective of the present study was to demonstrate the use of preoperative embolization (PE) as a strategy for blood preservation in a patient with a large low rectal tumor with a high risk of bleeding, scheduled for APE.
CASE SUMMARY
A 56-year-old man presented to our institution with a one-year history of anal bleeding and rectal tenesmus. The patient was diagnosed with bulky adenocarcinoma limited to the rectum. As the patient refused any clinical treatment, surgery without previous neoadjuvant chemoradiation was indicated. The patient underwent a tumor embolization procedure, two days before surgery performed the right common femoral artery. The tumor was successfully devascularized and no major bleeding was noted during APE. Postoperative recovery was uneventful and a one-year follow-up showed no signs of recurrence.
CONCLUSION
Therapeutic tumor embolization may play a role in bloodless surgeries and increase surgical and oncologic prognoses. We describe a patient with a bulky low rectal tumor who successfully underwent preoperative embolization and bloodless abdominoperineal resection.
PubMed: 33437668
DOI: 10.5306/wjco.v11.i12.1070 -
Supportive Care in Cancer : Official... Mar 2021The underlying mechanisms of chemotherapy-induced gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are poorly researched. This study characterised the nature, frequency, severity and...
BACKGROUND
The underlying mechanisms of chemotherapy-induced gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are poorly researched. This study characterised the nature, frequency, severity and treatable causes for GI symptoms prospectively in patients undergoing chemotherapy for GI malignancy.
METHODS
Patients receiving chemotherapy for a GI malignancy were assessed pre-chemotherapy, then monthly for 1 year using the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale, a validated patient-reported outcome measure. Patients with new, troublesome GI symptoms were offered investigations to diagnose the cause(s). Their oncologist was alerted when investigations were abnormal.
RESULTS
A total of 241 patients, 60% male, median age 63 years (range 30-88), were enrolled; 122 patients were withdrawn, 93%, because of progressive disease or death. During the study, > 20% patients reported chronic faecal incontinence and > 10% reported moderate or severe problems with taste, dysphagia, belching, heartburn, early satiety, appetite, nausea, abdominal cramps, peri-rectal pain, rectal flatulence, borborygmi, urgency of defecation or tenesmus. Thirty percent reported continuing passage of hard stools and 30% on-going diarrhoea. Moderate or severe fatigue affected 40% participants at its peak and persisted in 15% at 1 year. Toxicity dictated change in chemotherapy for 13-29% patients/month. Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events underestimated gastrointestinal morbidity. Pre-chemotherapy screening identified previously undiagnosed pathology: exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (9%), vitamin B deficiency (12%) and thyroid dysfunction (20%). Patients often refused investigations to diagnose their chemotherapy-induced symptoms; however, for every three investigations performed, one treatable cause was diagnosed: particularly small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (54%), bile acid malabsorption (43%), previously not described after chemotherapy, and unsuspected urinary tract infection (17%).
CONCLUSIONS
Patients undergoing chemotherapy for GI malignancy commonly have difficult GI symptoms requiring active management which does not occur routinely. The underlying causes for these symptoms are often treatable or curable. Randomised trials are urgently needed to show whether timely investigation and treatment of symptoms improve quality of life and survival.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02121626.
Topics: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; Female; Gastrointestinal Diseases; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Neoplasms; Prospective Studies; Quality of Life
PubMed: 32676853
DOI: 10.1007/s00520-020-05610-x -
BMJ Case Reports Oct 2021The article presents a series of four patients with primary anorectal melanoma presenting to our institute between 2016 and 2021. The primary objective of the series is...
The article presents a series of four patients with primary anorectal melanoma presenting to our institute between 2016 and 2021. The primary objective of the series is to give an overview of the variable presentation of this rare entity from a high-volume colorectal tertiary care centre in a developing country. The patients ranged in age from 55 to 73 years and were mostly women (except one). The clinical presentation varied from bleeding per rectum to tenesmus and mucus in stools, overlapping with those of inflammatory bowel disease and primary anorectal adenocarcinoma. All patients were treated with surgery (laparoscopic or open), ranging from local excision to abdominoperineal resection. All our patients had a good outcome after surgery with no mortality at 30 or 90 days after surgery. The article aims to present a comprehensive overview of the various options of management with evidence from the surgical literature.
Topics: Adenocarcinoma; Aged; Female; Humans; Melanoma; Middle Aged; Rectal Neoplasms; Rectum; Skin Neoplasms
PubMed: 34598968
DOI: 10.1136/bcr-2021-245449 -
World Journal of Clinical Cases Dec 2021Anorectal melanoma is a tumour that is difficult to identify due to its rarity and variability of presentation. Insufficient data published in the literature do not...
BACKGROUND
Anorectal melanoma is a tumour that is difficult to identify due to its rarity and variability of presentation. Insufficient data published in the literature do not allow for diagnostic and treatment guidelines to be established. Anorectal melanoma has the worst prognosis among mucosal melanomas and is frequently misdiagnosed by standard identification methods.
CASE SUMMARY
A 66-year-old woman presented with intermittent anal bleeding, pain, and tenesmus in the past month, with no associated weight loss. Colonoscopy revealed a cauliflower-like tumour with a diameter of 1.5 cm, with exulcerated areas and an adherent clot but without obstruction. Biopsy results identified an inflammatory rectal polyp with nonspecific chronic rectitis. Tumour markers CA 19-9 and CEA were within the normal range. After 6 mo, due to the persistence of symptoms, a pelvic magnetic resonance imaging scan was performed. A lesion measuring 2.8 cm × 2.7 cm × 2.1 cm was identified at the anorectal junction, along with two adjacent lymphadenopathies. No distant metastases were detected. Immunohistochemistry was performed on the second set of biopsies, and a diagnosis of anorectal melanoma was established. Surgical treatment by abdominoperineal resection was performed. Evolution was marked by the appearance of lung metastases at 1 mo postoperatively, detected on a positron emission tomography-computer tomography scan, and perineal recurrence after 5 mo. After molecular testing, the patient was included in an immunotherapy trial.
CONCLUSION
This case highlights the difficulty of establishing a definitive early diagnosis of anorectal melanoma, the importance of performing histological analysis on a well-represented biopsy specimen, and the poor prognosis, even with radical surgery.
PubMed: 35071568
DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v9.i36.11369