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The difference in outcome between right (RCD) and left colonic diverticulitis (LCD) is not well established. The aim of this study was to analyse the presentation and surgical outcome of RCD versus left-sided disease following emergency surgery.We conducted a retrospective review of patients presenting with acute diverticulitis over a 10-year period from 2004 to 2014 to a tertiary unit. Patient demographics, Hinchey classification, need for emergency surgery, perioperative outcome and recurrence were evaluated.In total 360 patients presented with acute diverticulitis, 218 (61%) were right-sided and 142 (39%) were left-sided. The mean age (57 yrs vs 68 yrs) and median length of stay (4 days vs 5 days) were significantly less in RCD (p 0.001). The need for emergency surgery was similar between RCD and LCD (30.7% vs 23.2%, p = 0.12). Sixty-seven (31%) patients with RCD required emergency surgery, 42 (62.7%) of these were based on a presumptive diagnosis of appendicitis and underwent laparoscopic appendicectomy only. Operative morbidity (10.4% vs 51.5%, p 0.001) and mortality were significantly higher in LCD (1.5% v 15.2%, p = 0.007). Subgroup analysis of non-appendicectomy, RCD patients, showed LCD were more likely to require surgery (11.5% vs 23.2%, p = 0.003). There was no difference in recurrence (p = 0.6).Right colonic diverticulitis patients are younger and disease course is more benign compared to LCD. Presentation can be confused with appendicitis without proper imaging. In the rare cases where emergency surgery is required, RCD is associated with a lower operative morbidity and mortality compared to left-sided disease.

BACKGROUND Aberrant gene levels in rectal swab specimens are potential non-invasive biomarkers for the early detection of colorectal cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression level of dysregulated genes in CRC in rectal swab specimens from normal subjects and CRC patients, and evaluate the potential of this approach as a non-invasive biomarker for CRC diagnosis. METHODS We performed RNA extraction and reverse transcription of the rectal swab specimens, then applied quantitative polymerase chain reaction to determine the expression level of 15 genes which have been previously reported to show dysregulation during CRC development. RESULTS Our results showed that CD44, IL8, CXCR2 and c-myc were significantly overexpressed in rectal swab specimens of CRC patients when compared to control subjects in both the training and validation studies, suggesting that gene levels of these four genes were potential biomarker to discriminate CRC from non-CRC subjects. Further evaluation showed that a panel of these 4 genes was able to identify CRC patients with an area under the curve of 0.74 for the training study and 0.79 for the validation study. Finally, we tested the predictive value of the 4-gene signature in a prediction study of 55 subjects (including 25 CRC patients and 30 non-CRC control subjects). The 4-gene signature correctly identified 16 of 20 CRC patients (80% sensitivity) and 29 of 35 non-CRC subjects (82.9% specificity). CONCLUSION Our data demonstrated the promising potential of the gene signature in rectal swab specimens as a noninvasive biomarker for CRC diagnosis.

Objectives To map Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G) and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Colorectal (FACT-C) subscale scores onto six-dimensional health state short form (derived from short form 36 health survey) (SF-6D) preference-based values in patients with colorectal neoplasm, with and without adjustment for clinical and demographic characteristics. These results can then be applied to studies that have used FACT-G or FACT-C to predict SF-6D utility values to inform economic evaluation. Methods Ordinary least square regressions were estimated mapping FACT-G and FACT-C onto SF-6D by using cross-sectional data of 537 Chinese subjects with different stages of colorectal neoplasm. Mapping functions for SF-6D preference-based values were developed separately for FACT-G and FACT-C in four sequential models for addition of variables: 1) main-effect terms, 2) squared terms, 3) interaction terms, and 4) clinical and demographic variables. Predictive performance in each model was assessed by the R 2 , adjusted R 2 , predicted R 2 , information criteria (Akaike information criteria and Bayesian information criteria), the root mean square error, the mean absolute error, and the proportions of absolute error within the threshold of 0.05 and 0.10. Results Models including FACT variables and clinical and demographic variables had the best predictive performance measured by using R 2 (FACT-G: 59.98%; FACT-C: 60.43%), root mean square error (FACT-G: 0.086; FACT-C: 0.084), and mean absolute error (FACT-G: 0.065; FACT-C: 0.065). The FACT-C–based mapping function had better predictive ability than did the FACT-G–based mapping function. Conclusions Models mapping FACT-G and FACT-C onto SF-6D reached an acceptable degree of precision. Mapping from the condition-specific measure (FACT-C) had better performance than did mapping from the general cancer measure (FACT-G). These mapping functions can be applied to FACT-G or FACT-C data sets to estimate SF-6D utility values for economic evaluation of medical interventions for patients with colorectal neoplasm. Further research assessing model performance in independent data sets and non-Chinese populations are encouraged.

Objective Totally extraperitoneal (TEP) inguinal hernioplasty for inguinal hernia is associated with less postoperative pain, shorter hospital stays, less chronic pain, and increased patient satisfaction when compared with the open Lichtenstein approach‥ However, only few studies to date have compared conventional with needlescopic TEP hernioplasty for treating unilateral inguinal hernias in adult patients. We report our prospective study that compared the postoperative outcomes of these two approaches over a 2-year period. Methods From July 2007 to June 2009, a total of 32 patients underwent attempted unilateral needlescopic TEP hernioplasty. All data were prospectively collected and analysed, including demographic features, types of hernia, and postoperative outcome. The results were compared with those of an agematched cohort of 32 patients who underwent conventional TEP hernioplasty in the same period. Results Needlescopic TEP hernioplasty was successfully performed in 24 patients. The other eight procedures were completed with conventional TEP approaches after changing one or two 5-mm ports. The most common hernia type was Nyhus type III (38/64, 59.3%). There was no significant difference in the mean operative time, hospital stay, and postoperative pain scores between the needlescopic and conventional approaches. There was no major complication detected on the first visit, except seroma formation (9 patients in the needlescopic group and 11 in the conventional group), all of which was resolved with conservative management. No recurrence of hernia was noted in either group during the mean follow-up period of 88.0 weeks. Conclusion Needlescopic TEP hernioplasty was a feasible technique in selected patients for inguinal hernia repair. Postoperative recovery following both approaches was similar. However, because this was a small cohort study, larger prospective, randomized controlled trials are required to establish the longterm benefit, safety and complications of needlescopic surgery.

Recent evidence suggests that a subpopulation of cancer cells, cancer stem cells (CSCs), is responsible for tumor growth in colorectal cancer. However, the role of CSCs in colorectal cancer metastasis is unclear. Here, we identified a subpopulation of CD26(+) cells uniformly present in both the primary and metastatic tumors in colorectal cancer patients with liver metastasis. Furthermore, in patients without distant metastasis at the time of presentation, the presence of CD26(+) cells in their primary tumors predicted distant metastasis on follow-up. Isolated CD26(+) cells, but not CD26(-) cells, led to development of distant metastasis when injected into the mouse cecal wall. CD26(+) cells were also associated with enhanced invasiveness and chemoresistance. Our findings have uncovered a critical role of CSCs in metastatic progression of cancer. Furthermore, the ability to predict metastasis based on analysis of CSC subsets in the primary tumor may have important clinical implication as a selection criterion for adjuvant therapy.

Background Autopsy examination has been the bedrock of western medicine. With the decline in the autopsy rate secondary to the negative psychological impact to the deceased's relatives, the benefits of autopsy have been undermined. Minimally invasive autopsy has been introduced but has not been widely adopted as an alternative to the ‘traditional’ open approach. This technique not only provides information on the cause of death abut also minimizes the disfigurement induced to the deceased. Our study aims to explore the feasibility and evaluate the accuracy of this technique. Methods A series of coroner cases ordered for autopsy were examined by a group including an experienced forensic pathologist and two experienced laparoscopic surgeons using thoracoscopic, laparoscopic, endoluminal or endovascular approaches. The procedure was video-recorded and the provisional diagnoses and causes of death were made based on the findings. These findings were subsequently correlated with the full autopsy examination. A few limited clinical post-mortem examinations were also performed with consent from relatives. Results A total of 22 cases of minimally invasive autopsies were performed from November 2007 to March 2008. The median duration of the procedures was 78.3 ± 20.7 min. Thoracoscopies and laparoscopies were performed in 18 patients while additional arterioscopic examination with endoscope was performed in two patients with suspected aortic diseases. Four consented limited clinical autopsies were also performed: two of them involved thoracoscopic biopsies of lung tissues, one was a para-mortem upper endoscopy for the investigation of pathology of the stomach and the other one was laparoscopy for a patient, who died of unexplained acidosis. Comparison with full autopsies showed that the accuracy of the diagnosis was 94.4%, the sensitivity was 90%, the specificity was 100%, the positive predictive value was 100% and the negative predictive value was 88.9%. Conclusion Minimally invasive autopsy is a feasible approach, yielding accurate findings when compared with conventional autopsies. The former can be a valuable tool for obtaining more valuable information in situations when the next-of-kin of the deceased does not consent to a conventional autopsy.

It has been nearly two decades since the first laparoscopic colectomy was reported. However, the wide application of the procedure in various colorectal diseases, particularly colorectal malignancy, has been slow. With the recent reports of oncological outcomes from randomised controlled trials, the oncological safety of laparoscopic colectomy has been proven and the long-term outcome is at least not inferior to open resection. The application of laparoscopic resection should not be regarded as a contraindication against management of colon cancer, but instead it appears the preferred treatment when the short-term benefits are considered. Regarding rectal cancer, the CLASICC (Conventional versus Laparoscopic-Assisted Surgery in Colorectal Cancer) trial showed equal oncological outcome in patients who underwent laparoscopic and open resection for rectal cancer in a randomised trial. The application of laparoscopic resection for rectal cancer should be accepted, though cautions are still needed to scrutinise more data from high quality studies.

Aims A phase II trial was initiated to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of combination chemotherapy with irinotecan (CPT-11) plus capecitabine in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. Patients and methods Patients received a combination of CPT-11 plus capecitabine. CPT-11 was infused intravenously on day 1 every 2 weeks and oral capecitabine was taken twice daily for 5 days every 7 days. Efficacy and toxicities were assessed. Results Between 2004 and 2005, 43 patients were enrolled. The overall response rate was 51.35%. With a median follow-up of 13 months, the median time to progression was 10 months (95% confidence interval 7.6–12.3 months); the median survival was 15 months (95% confidence interval 13.9–16.9 months). The most common grade 3 haematological and non-haematological toxicities were neutropenia (5.4%), diarrhoea (8.1%) and hand–foot syndrome (2.7%). Conclusions CPT-11 plus capecitabine with a 14 day cycle showed a comparable response with international phase II data with a 3 weekly regimen and was well tolerated as a first-line palliative chemotherapy in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. The data should be interpreted with caution due to the limited sample size and should be further confirmed by a phase III randomised trial.

This study aimed to compare the outcomes of patients who suffered from obstructing left-sided colorectal cancer, treated with self-expanding metallic stent (SEMS) as a bridge to surgery, with those who underwent emergency operation. Twenty patients who had acute obstruction due to left-sided colorectal cancer underwent surgical resection after insertion of SEMS (group I) were matched to 40 patients with emergency colonic resection (group II). The two groups were compared for the incidence of primary anastomosis, stoma rate, hospital stay, duration of intensive care, postoperative morbidity, and mortality. Both groups had similar preoperative comorbidity and stage of disease, but the tumors in group I were more distally located (P0.001). In group I, one patient developed colon perforation and required Hartmann's operation. All the other patients underwent elective operation with primary anastomosis. In group II, primary anastomosis was performed in 29 patients (72.5%; P = 0.047). The operative mortality of group I and group II was 5% and 12.5%, respectively (P = 0.653). Significantly shorter median postoperative hospital stay and median stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) were observed in group I (9 days [range, 5-39 days] vs. 12 days [range, 8-49 days], P = 0.015 and 0 day [range, 0-17 days] vs. 0.5 day [range, 0-18 days], P = 0.022, respectively). There were no differences in hospital mortality (P = 0.653) or 30-day mortality (P = 0.653). Both groups had similar reoperation rates, surgical complications, and medical complications. When compared with emergency resection, insertion of SEMS as a bridge to surgery for obstructing left-sided colorectal cancer is associated with a higher rate of primary anastomosis as well as a better outcome in terms of hospital stay and stay in the ICU. The wider application of this treatment option for obstructing colorectal cancer warranted further studies.

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