Barrett's esophagus in 2012: updates in pathogenesis, treatment, and surveillance

A case of mixed adenoneuroendocrine carcinoma (MANEC) arising in Barrett's esophagus: literature and review

Background

Mixed adenoneuroendocrine carcinoma (MANEC) is defined as a neoplasm composed of both exocrine and endocrine carcinomas, each comprising at least 30% of the tumor. MANEC can occur in various organs of the gastrointestinal tract, including the esophagus, stomach, and colon. We herein provide the first case report of surgically resected MANEC arising in Barrett’s esophagus (BE).

Case presentation

A 70-year-old man presenting with abdominal pain was referred to our hospital. Upper endoscopy showed a type 0-IIa + IIc elevated lesion adjacent to BE. According to a biopsy specimen, the elevated lesion was diagnosed as adenocarcinoma with neuroendocrine differentiation. No lymphatic or distant metastasis was detected in the preoperative examination. Laparoscopic distal esophagectomy and proximal gastrectomy were performed, and a diagnosis of MANEC in BE was determined according to the surgically resected specimen.

Conclusions

A very rare case of MANEC in BE was detected. BE can be the origin of esophageal MANEC as well as adenocarcinoma. Due to the small number of esophageal or esophagogastric MANEC cases reported, further accumulation of such cases is necessary to recommend an optimal management strategy for esophageal or esophagogastric MANEC.

Robotic Scanning Device for Intraoperative Thyroid Gland Endomicroscopy

Probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy has a high potential to be a promising tool that can provide intraoperative high-resolution in vivo morphological imaging at cellular and subcellular levels for thyroidectomy, and allow real-time assessment of tumor margins. However, the typical images acquired with this technique cover a very small area limited by the field of view of the probe, accompanied by tissue deformation and inconsistent probe-tissue contact when operated manually. In this paper, a novel compact robotic device for large area scanning has been developed. The device can scan a large surface in a spiral trajectory by rotating the tip frame along the spiral groove of the base frame. The fiber Bragg grating sensor with a passive linear structure is used to detect and maintain a stable probe-tissue contact force during scanning. An active linear actuation is also integrated for adjusting the probe-tissue contact level prior to each scan. Results demonstrate that the scanning device ensures a suitable probe-tissue contact force and compensates for simulated hand tremor. Mosaicing results of lens tissue paper and porcine belly tissue with both bench and hand-held experiments show the effectiveness and usability of the device, demonstrating the potential clinical value of the system.

Screening and Preventive Strategies in Esophagogastric Cancer

Gastric adenocarcinoma, esophageal adenocarcinoma, and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma are among the most prevalent and deadly of malignancies worldwide. Screening and prevention programs will be critical to finally improving outcomes in these diseases. For gastric adenocarcinoma, screening in high-risk populations has significantly reduced mortality. More research is needed on screening high-risk individuals in low-risk populations. For esophageal adenocarcinoma, work is needed to develop efficient and effective techniques in mass screening programs. For most Western populations, current screening is not cost effective. Avoiding environmental risk factors is critical to reducing the incidence of this deadly illness.

Gastrointestinal symptoms and disorders in patients with eating disorders

The two most clinically serious eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. A drive for thinness and fear of fatness lead patients with anorexia nervosa either to restrict their food intake or binge-eat then purge (through self-induced vomiting and/or laxative abuse) to reduce their body weight to much less than the normal range. A drive for thinness leads patients with bulimia nervosa to binge-eat then purge but fail to reduce their body weight. Patients with eating disorders present with various gastrointestinal disturbances such as postprandial fullness, abdominal distention, abdominal pain, gastric distension, and early satiety, with altered esophageal motility sometimes seen in patients with anorexia nervosa. Other common conditions noted in patients with eating disorders are postprandial distress syndrome, superior mesenteric artery syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, and functional constipation. Binge eating may cause acute gastric dilatation and gastric perforation, while self-induced vomiting can lead to dental caries, salivary gland enlargement, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and electrolyte imbalance. Laxative abuse can cause dehydration and electrolyte imbalance. Vomiting and/or laxative abuse can cause hypokalemia, which carries a risk of fatal arrhythmia. Careful assessment and intensive treatment of patients with eating disorders is needed because gastrointestinal symptoms/disorders can progress to a critical condition.

State-of-the-art molecular imaging in esophageal cancer management: implications for diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment

Molecular imaging techniques are increasingly being used in addition to standard imaging methods such as endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and computed tomography (CT) for many cancers including those of the esophagus. In this review, we will discuss the utility of the most widely used molecular imaging technique, (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose ((18)F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET). (18)F-FDG PET has a variety of potential applications ranging from improving staging accuracy at the time of initial diagnosis to assisting in radiation target volume delineation. Furthermore, (18)F-FDG PET can be used to evaluate treatment response after completion of neoadjuvant therapy or potentially during neoadjuvant therapy. Finally, we will also discuss other novel molecular imaging techniques that have potential to further improve cancer care.

Barrett's esophagus in anorexia nervosa: a case report

Barrett's esophagus (BE) is a metaplastic lesion that may result from long-lasting gastroesophageal reflux and it is an established precursor of esophageal adenocarcinoma. There are reports of an increased prevalence of BE, and eventually esophageal adenocarcinoma, in patients with eating disorders characterized by purging behaviors like those with bulimia nervosa (BN). Among patients with eating disorders, those affected by anorexia nervosa binging purging subtype (ANBP), are behaviorally very similar to those with BN, but to our knowledge there are no data in literature about BE in patients with ANBP. We present the case of a 37-year-old female with a 20-year history of ANBP in comorbidity with bipolar disorder, who developed a BE requiring multi-specialistic intervention.

Esophageal cancer: Recent advances in screening, targeted therapy, and management

The incidence of esophageal cancer remains on the rise worldwide and despite aggressive research in the field of gastrointestinal oncology, the survival remains poor. Much remains to be defined in esophageal cancer, including the development of an effective screening tool, identifying a good tumor marker for surveillance purposes, ways to target esophageal cancer stem cells as well as circulating tumor cells, and developing minimally invasive protocols to treat early-stage disease. The goal of this chapter is to highlight some of the recent advances and ongoing research in the field of esophageal cancer.

Gastrointestinal morbidity in obesity

Obesity is a complex disease that results from increased energy intake and decreased energy expenditure. The gastrointestinal system plays a key role in the pathogenesis of obesity and facilitates caloric imbalance. Changes in gastrointestinal hormones and the inhibition of mechanisms that curtail caloric intake result in weight gain. It is not clear if the gastrointestinal role in obesity is a cause or an effect of this disease. Obesity is often associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Obesity is also associated with gastrointestinal disorders, which are more frequent and present earlier than T2DM and CVD. Diseases such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), cholelithiasis, or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis are directly related to body weight and abdominal adiposity. Our objective is to assess the role of each gastrointestinal organ in obesity and the gastrointestinal morbidity resulting in those organs from the effects of obesity.

Recent advances in molecular imaging of premalignant gastrointestinal lesions and future application for early detection of barrett esophagus

Recent advances in optical molecular imaging allow identification of morphologic and biochemical changes in tissues associated with gastrointestinal (GI) premalignant lesions earlier and in real-time. This focused review series introduces high-resolution imaging modalities that are being evaluated preclinically and clinically for the detection of early GI cancers, especially Barrett esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma. Although narrow band imaging, autofluorescence imaging, and chromoendoscopy are currently applied for this purpose in the clinic, further adoptions of probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy, high-resolution microendoscopy, optical coherence tomography, and metabolomic imaging, as well as imaging mass spectrometry, will lead to detection at the earliest and will guide predictions of the clinical course in the near future in a manner that is beyond current advancements in optical imaging. In this review article, the readers will be introduced to sufficient information regarding this matter with which to enjoy this new era of high technology and to confront science in the field of molecular medical imaging.

Barrett esophagus: history, definition and etiopathogeny

The injury of the esophageal epithelium may be determined by the reflux of the gastric acid in the esophagus. Barrett's esophagus (BE) is characterized by the replacement of the normal squamous epithelium with the columnar epithelium, when the healing of the lesion occurs. According to some studies, the incidence of the esophageal adenocarcinoma in patients with BE is of about 0,5% per year. The term Barrett's esophagus is subjected to interpretation nowadays, so it lacks the clarity needed for the clinical and scientific communication on the subject of columnar metaplasia of the esophageal mucosa. The major pathogenetic factor in the development of BE is represented by the reflux disease. The cellular origin of BE is controversial and it represents an issue that needs to be resolved because it will have implications in the putative molecular mechanisms underlying the metaplastic process. The epigenetic or genetic changes, which alter protein expression, function, and/ or activity, in post-mitotic cells to drive transdifferentiation or in stem/ progenitor cells such that they are reprogrammed to differentiate into columnar rather than squamous cells, are driven by the inflammatory environment created by chronic reflux. In order to be able to develop better therapeutic strategies for the patients with this disease, an increasing interest in understanding the pathogenesis of BE at the cellular and molecular level presents these days.

Application of confocal laser endomicroscopy in the diagnosis and management of Barrett's esophagus

Confocal laser endomicroscopy is an advanced endoscopic imaging modality that can be used for the diagnosis of early mucosal dysplasia in various gastrointestinal conditions. It provides histology-like images at 1000-fold magnification. The technology offers potential advantages in the diagnosis of Barrett's esophagus and early esophageal cancer due to the low yield of the current practice of surveillance endoscopy with biopsies. Confocal laser endomicroscopy has the potential to eliminate the need for biopsy, establish diagnosis and facilitate application of endoscopic therapy during the time of actual endoscopy. There are several studies that have demonstrated reasonable diagnostic accuracy in patients undergoing surveillance for Barrett's esophagus from tertiary academic medical centers. However, the application of confocal laser endomicroscopy in routine clinical endoscopy is still in the process of refinement. Its role in the diagnosis and treatment of Barrett's-associated dysplasia will continue to evolve with improvement in technology, criteria for diagnosis and experience among endoscopists in interpreting confocal imaging.