Advances in Treatment of Gastrointestinal Cancer

A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032). This special issue belongs to the section "Chronic Care".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2023) | Viewed by 10139

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, USA
Interests: esophageal cancer; gastric cancer; colon cancer; rectal cancer; neuroendocrine tumor; immunotherapy; biomarker

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Guest Editor
Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA
Interests: esophageal cancer; gastric cancer; immunotherapy; tumor genomics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue will facilitate the publication of high-quality original research and review articles on the epidemiology, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of gastrointestinal cancers and recent advances that facilitate progress in this field.

This Special Issue aims to provide a platform for researchers, physicians, surgeons, and academicians around the globe to promote, share, and discuss various new issues and developments in different areas of gastrointestinal cancers, especially the recent advances in targeted therapy and immunotherapy. To reach a translational and clinical multidisciplinary audience, we welcome original full-length articles, reviews, and editorials on the epidemiology, prevention, clinical features, diagnosis, treatment, and management of patients with gastrointestinal malignancies.

Dr. Sarbajit Mukherjee
Dr. Rutika Mehta
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • esophageal cancer
  • gastric cancer
  • small bowel cancer
  • pancreatic cancer
  • hepatocellular carcinoma
  • colon cancer
  • rectal cancer
  • anal cancer
  • biliary cancer
  • neuroendocrine tumor
  • biomarker
  • immunotherapy
  • targeted therapy
  • health outcomes
  • disparity
  • prevention
  • epidemiology
  • translational research

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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9 pages, 605 KiB  
Article
Relationship of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Stage and Hepatic Function to Health-Related Quality of Life: A Single Center Analysis
by Amol Gupta, Jane Zorzi, Won Jin Ho, Marina Baretti, Nilofer Saba Azad, Paige Griffith, Doan Dao, Amy Kim, Benjamin Philosophe, Christos Georgiades, Ihab Kamel, Richard Burkhart, Robert Liddell, Kelvin Hong, Christopher Shubert, Kelly Lafaro, Jeffrey Meyer, Robert Anders, William Burns III and Mark Yarchoan
Healthcare 2023, 11(18), 2571; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11182571 - 18 Sep 2023
Viewed by 940
Abstract
Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is known to be an important prognostic indicator and clinical endpoint for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the correlation of the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage with HRQoL in HCC has not been previously studied. We [...] Read more.
Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is known to be an important prognostic indicator and clinical endpoint for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the correlation of the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage with HRQoL in HCC has not been previously studied. We examined the relationship between BCLC stage, Child–Pugh (CP) score, and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status on HRQoL for patients who presented at a multidisciplinary liver cancer clinic. HRQoL was assessed using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Hepatobiliary (FACT-Hep) questionnaire. Fifty-one patients met our inclusion criteria. The FACT-Hep total and subscales showed no significant association with BCLC stages (p = 0.224). Patients with CP B had significantly more impairment in FACT-Hep than patients with CP A. These data indicate that in patients with HCC, impaired liver function is associated with reduced quality of life, whereas the BCLC stage poorly correlates with quality of life metrics. Impairment of quality of life is common in HCC patients and further studies are warranted to determine the impact of early supportive interventions on HRQoL and survival outcomes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Treatment of Gastrointestinal Cancer)
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14 pages, 3031 KiB  
Article
Global Status of Research on Lateral Lymph Nodes in Rectal Cancer from 1994 to 2022: A Bibliometric Analysis
by Yang Zhang, Zixuan Zhuang, Xuyang Yang and Ziqiang Wang
Healthcare 2023, 11(10), 1362; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11101362 - 9 May 2023
Viewed by 1231
Abstract
Tremendous progress has been made in the field of lateral lymph nodes (LLNs) in rectal cancer, but no bibliometric analysis in this field has been carried out and published. To reveal the current status and trends in LLNs in rectal cancer, this bibliometric [...] Read more.
Tremendous progress has been made in the field of lateral lymph nodes (LLNs) in rectal cancer, but no bibliometric analysis in this field has been carried out and published. To reveal the current status and trends in LLNs in rectal cancer, this bibliometric analysis was performed. Cooperation network, co-citation and keyword co-occurrence analyses were conducted. Annual publication, cooperation relationships among authors, institutions and countries, co-cited journal, co-cited author, co-cited reference and keywords were the main outcomes. A total of 345 studies were included in this bibliometric analysis. The number of articles published in this field has been increasing year by year. The authors, institutions and countries worked closely together in this field. Japan has the largest number of published articles, accounting for 51.59% of the total publications. International Journal of Colorectal Disease (30 papers, 8.70%) published the most papers in this field. The JCOG0212 trial was the most cited article. Preoperative chemoradiotherapy, multicenter, lateral lymph node dissection (LLND) and metastasis are recent hot keywords, and LLND had the highest burst strength. In conclusion, this bibliometric analysis found that Japanese institutions and authors dominated the field of LLNs in rectal cancer. The JCOG0212 trial was the most influential article, which had a significant impact on the development of guidelines. LLND is a hotspot in this field with the highest burst strength. Further prospective studies are needed in this field. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Treatment of Gastrointestinal Cancer)
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12 pages, 862 KiB  
Article
Geographical Disparities in Esophageal Cancer Incidence and Mortality in the United States
by Yeshwanth Vedire, Navpreet Rana, Adrienne Groman, Beas Siromoni, Sai Yendamuri and Sarbajit Mukherjee
Healthcare 2023, 11(5), 685; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11050685 - 25 Feb 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1547
Abstract
Background: Our previous research on neuroendocrine and gastric cancers has shown that patients living in rural areas have worse outcomes than urban patients. This study aimed to investigate the geographic and sociodemographic disparities in esophageal cancer patients. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study [...] Read more.
Background: Our previous research on neuroendocrine and gastric cancers has shown that patients living in rural areas have worse outcomes than urban patients. This study aimed to investigate the geographic and sociodemographic disparities in esophageal cancer patients. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study on esophageal cancer patients between 1975 and 2016 using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. Both univariate and multivariable analyses were performed to evaluate overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) between patients residing in rural (RA) and urban (MA) areas. Further, we used the National Cancer Database to understand differences in various quality of care metrics based on residence. Results: N = 49,421 (RA [12%]; MA [88%]). The incidence and mortality rates were consistently higher during the study period in RA. Patients living in RA were more commonly males (p < 0.001), Caucasian (p < 0.001), and had adenocarcinoma (p < 0.001). Multivariable analysis showed that RA had worse OS (HR = 1.08; p < 0.01) and DSS (HR = 1.07; p < 0.01). Quality of care was similar, except RA patients were more likely to be treated at a community hospital (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Our study identified geographic disparities in esophageal cancer incidence and outcomes despite the similar quality of care. Future research is needed to understand and attenuate such disparities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Treatment of Gastrointestinal Cancer)
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Review

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15 pages, 575 KiB  
Review
Care Delivery Interventions for Individuals with Cancer: A Literature Review and Focus on Gastrointestinal Malignancies
by Anh B. Lam, Vanessa Moore and Ryan D. Nipp
Healthcare 2024, 12(1), 30; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12010030 - 22 Dec 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 979
Abstract
Background: Gastrointestinal malignancies represent a particularly challenging condition, often requiring a multidisciplinary approach to management in order to meet the unique needs of these individuals and their caregivers. Purpose: In this literature review, we sought to describe care delivery interventions that strive to [...] Read more.
Background: Gastrointestinal malignancies represent a particularly challenging condition, often requiring a multidisciplinary approach to management in order to meet the unique needs of these individuals and their caregivers. Purpose: In this literature review, we sought to describe care delivery interventions that strive to improve the quality of life and care for patients with a focus on gastrointestinal malignancies. Conclusion: We highlight patient-centered care delivery interventions, including patient-reported outcomes, hospital-at-home interventions, and other models of care for individuals with cancer. By demonstrating the relevance and utility of these different care models for patients with gastrointestinal malignancies, we hope to highlight the importance of developing and testing new interventions to address the unique needs of this population. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Treatment of Gastrointestinal Cancer)
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19 pages, 351 KiB  
Review
Recent Advances in the Management of Anal Cancer
by Laxmi Upadhyay, Michelle Hartzell, Aparna R. Parikh, Matthew R. Strickland, Samuel Klempner and Midhun Malla
Healthcare 2023, 11(23), 3010; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11233010 - 21 Nov 2023
Viewed by 1713
Abstract
The incidence and mortality of squamous cell carcinoma of the anus (SCCA) is on the rise, which highlights the unmet need for advances in treatment options. The landscape of treatment for this cancer is rapidly evolving with novel combination strategies including immunotherapy, radiation [...] Read more.
The incidence and mortality of squamous cell carcinoma of the anus (SCCA) is on the rise, which highlights the unmet need for advances in treatment options. The landscape of treatment for this cancer is rapidly evolving with novel combination strategies including immunotherapy, radiation therapy and biomarker-guided therapy. This review article features an overview of recent advancements in both locoregional and metastatic SCCA. The recent focus on locoregional SCCA management is to tailor treatment according to tumor burden and minimize treatment-related toxicities. Mitomycin plus either infusional 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) or capecitabine is used for first-line chemoradiotherapy (CRT), and intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) is the preferred modality for radiation for locoregional anal cancer. Locally recurrent disease is managed with surgical resection. Systemic treatment is first-line for metastatic SCCA and immunotherapy with nivolumab and pembrolizumab being included as second-line agents. Current and future clinical trials are evaluating treatments for SCCA including immunotherapy alone or in combination regimens, radiotherapies, targeted treatments and novel agents. Another critical aspect of current research in SCCA is the personalization of CRT and immunotherapies based on molecular characterization and biomarkers such as the programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and circulating tumor DNA. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Treatment of Gastrointestinal Cancer)
14 pages, 318 KiB  
Review
What Is the Comparative Efficacy of Surgical, Endoscopic, Transanal Resection, and Radiotherapy Modalities in the Treatment of Rectal Cancer?
by Alexandru Isaic, Alexandru Cătălin Motofelea, Dan Costachescu, Gheorghe Nicusor Pop, Bogdan Totolici, Dorel Popovici and Razvan Gheorghe Diaconescu
Healthcare 2023, 11(16), 2347; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11162347 - 20 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 994
Abstract
Background: Rectal cancer is a significant healthcare burden, and effective treatment is crucial. This research aims to compare the effectiveness of surgical and endoscopic resection, transanal resection, and radiotherapy. Methods: A literature analysis was conducted in order to identify relevant studies, by comparing [...] Read more.
Background: Rectal cancer is a significant healthcare burden, and effective treatment is crucial. This research aims to compare the effectiveness of surgical and endoscopic resection, transanal resection, and radiotherapy. Methods: A literature analysis was conducted in order to identify relevant studies, by comparing the different surgical approaches and variables affecting treatment decisions. The findings were analyzed and synthesized to provide a comprehensive overview. Results: Surgical treatment, particularly TME (total mesorectal excision), proved consistent efficacy in achieving complete tumor resection and improving long-term survival. Endoscopic treatment and transanal resection techniques were promising for early-stage tumors but were associated with higher local recurrence rates. Radiotherapy, especially in combination with chemotherapy, played a crucial role in locally advanced cases, improving local control and reducing recurrence risk. Patient data, tumor characteristics, and healthcare system factors were identified as important factors in treatment modality selection. Conclusion: Surgical treatment, specifically TME, remains the recommended standard approach for rectal cancer, providing excellent oncological outcomes. Endoscopic treatment and transanal resection techniques can be considered for selected early-stage cases, while radiotherapy is beneficial for locally advanced tumors. Treatment decisions should be personalized based on patient and tumor characteristics, considering the available resources and expertise within the healthcare system. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Treatment of Gastrointestinal Cancer)
20 pages, 11246 KiB  
Review
Bibliometric Analysis of Hotspots and Frontiers of Immunotherapy in Pancreatic Cancer
by Qiong Xu, Yan Zhou, Heng Zhang, Haipeng Li, Haoren Qin and Hui Wang
Healthcare 2023, 11(3), 304; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11030304 - 19 Jan 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2161
Abstract
Background: Pancreatic cancer is one of the most common malignant neoplasms with an increasing incidence, low rate of early diagnosis, and high degree of malignancy. In recent years, immunotherapy has made remarkable achievements in various cancer types including pancreatic cancer, due to the [...] Read more.
Background: Pancreatic cancer is one of the most common malignant neoplasms with an increasing incidence, low rate of early diagnosis, and high degree of malignancy. In recent years, immunotherapy has made remarkable achievements in various cancer types including pancreatic cancer, due to the long-lasting antitumor responses elicited in the human body. Immunotherapy mainly relies on mobilizing the host’s natural defense mechanisms to regulate the body state and exert anti-tumor effects. However, no bibliometric research about pancreatic cancer immunotherapy has been reported to date. This study aimed to assess research trends and offer possible new research directions in pancreatic cancer immunotherapy. Methods: The articles and reviews related to pancreatic cancer immunotherapy were collected from the Web of Science Core Collection. CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and an online platform, and were used to analyze co-authorship, citation, co-citation, and co-occurrence of terms retrieved from the literature highlighting the scientific advances in pancreatic cancer immunotherapy. Results: We collected 2475 publications and the number of articles was growing year by year. The United States had a strong presence worldwide with the most articles. The most contributing institution was Johns Hopkins University (103 papers). EM Jaffee was the most productive researcher with 43 papers, and L Zheng and RH Vonderheide ranked second and third, with 34 and 29 papers, respectively. All the keywords were grouped into four clusters: “immunotherapy”, “clinical treatment study”, “tumor immune cell expression”, “tumor microenvironment”. In the light of promising hotspots, keywords with recent citation bursts can be summarized into four aspects: immune microenvironment, adaptive immunotherapy, immunotherapy combinations, and molecular and gene therapy. Conclusions: In recent decades, immunotherapy showed great promise for many cancer types, so various immunotherapy approaches have been introduced to treat pancreatic cancer. Understanding the mechanisms of immunosuppressive microenvironment, eliminating immune suppression and blocking immune checkpoints, and combining traditional treatments will be hotspots for future research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Treatment of Gastrointestinal Cancer)
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