Search

Endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) of early gastric and esophageal tumors is effective and avoids the morbidity and mortality of surgery. We report the long-term results of a consecutive series of 93 endoscopic resections, during a 7-year period, in a U.K. population. Eighty-eight patients with 93 lesions were included. EMR was performed for 64 and 29 malignant and benign lesions, respectively. Patients with malignant disease were subgrouped into “high risk” or “low risk” for recurrence. Of the 35 lesions in the low-risk group, local control was achieved in 31; 29 after 1 EMR session. Two had residual invasive carcinoma, one had treatment ceased due to pancreatic cancer, and one patient did not attend follow-up. Of the 29 lesions in the high-risk group, local control was achieved in 15; 13 after 1 EMR session. Median follow-up was 53 months. Cancer specific survival for the 45 invasive cancers (T1m and T1sm) was 93%; three patients died from their disease. This study has shown for the first time in a U.K. population that EMR is effective in controlling disease in patients with local high grade dysplasia (HGD) and early invasive carcinoma, with no mortality and low morbidity.

Studies have indicated that hypoalbuminemia is associated with decreased survival of patients with gastric cancer. However, the prognostic value of albumin may be secondary to an ongoing systemic inflammatory response. The aim of the study was to assess the relation between hypoalbuminemia, the systemic inflammatory response, and survival in patients with gastric cancer. Patients diagnosed with gastric carcinoma attending the upper gastrointestinal surgical unit in the Royal Infirmary, Glasgow between April 1997 and December 2005 and who had a pretreatment measurement of albumin and C-reactive protein (CRP) were studied. Most of the patients had stage III/IV disease and received palliative treatment. The minimum follow-up was 15 months. During follow-up, 157 (72%) patients died of their cancer. On univariate analysis, stage (p

Background: Peptic ulcer bleeding (PUB) is a serious and sometimes fatal condition. The outcome of PUB strongly depends on the risk of rebleeding. A recent multinational placebo-controlled clinical trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00251979) showed that high-dose intravenous (IV) esomeprazole, when administered after successful endoscopic haemostasis in patients with PUB, is effective in preventing rebleeding. From a policy perspective it is important to assess the cost efficacy of this benefit so as to enable clinicians and payers to make an informed decision regarding the management of PUB. Objective: Using a decision-tree model, we compared the cost efficacy of high-dose IV esomeprazole versus an approach of no-IV proton pump inhibitor for prevention of rebleeding in patients with PUB. Method: The model adopted a 30-day time horizon and the perspective of third-party payers in the USA and Europe. The main efficacy variable was the number of averted rebleedings. Healthcare resource utilization costs (physician fees, hospitalizations, surgeries, pharmacotherapies) relevant for the management of PUB were also determined. Data for unit costs (prices) were primarily taken from official governmental sources, and data for other model assumptions were retrieved from the original clinical trial and the literature. After successful endoscopic haemostasis, patients received either high-dose IV esomeprazole (80 mg infusion over 30 min, then 8 mg/hour for 71.5 hours) or no-IV esomeprazole treatment, with both groups receiving oral esomeprazole 40 mg once daily from days 4 to 30. Results: Rebleed rates at 30 days were 7.7% and 13.6%, respectively, for the high-dose IV esomeprazole and no-IV esomeprazole treatment groups (equating to a number needed to treat of 17 in order to prevent one additional patient from rebleeding). In the US setting, the average cost per patient for the high-dose IV esomeprazole strategy was $US14 290 compared with $US14 239 for the no-IV esomeprazole strategy (year 2007 values). For the European setting, Sweden and Spain were used as examples. In the Swedish setting the corresponding respective figures were Swedish kronor (SEK)67 862 ($US9220 at average 2006 interbank exchange rates) and SEK67 807 ($US9212) [year 2006 values]. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were $US866 and SEK938 ($US127), respectively, per averted rebleed when using IV esomeprazole. For the Spanish setting, the high-dose IV esomeprazole strategy was dominant (more effective and less costly than the no-IV esomeprazole strategy) [year 2008 values]. All results appeared robust to univariate/threshold sensitivity analysis, with high-dose IV esomeprazole becoming dominant with small variations in assumptions in the US and Swedish settings, while remaining a dominant approach in the Spanish scenario across a broad range of values. Sensitivity variables with prespecified ranges included lengths of stay and per diem assumptions, rebleeding rates and, in some cases, professional fees. Conclusion: In patients with PUB, high-dose IV esomeprazole after successful endoscopic haemostasis appears to improve outcomes at a modest increase in costs relative to a no-IV esomeprazole strategy from the US and Swedish third-party payer perspective. Whereas, in the Spanish setting, the high-dose IV esomeprazole strategy appeared dominant, being more effective and less costly.

Clinical staging in patients with gastro-oesophageal cancer, is of crucial importance in determining the likely benefit of treatment. Despite recent advances in clinical staging, overall survival remains poor. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between pre-treatment clinical prognostic factors and cancer-specific survival. Two hundred and seventeen patients, undergoing staging investigations including host factors (Edinburgh Clinical Risk Score (ECRS)) and the systemic inflammatory response (Glasgow Prognostic score (mGPS)), in the upper GI surgical unit at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, were studied. During the follow-up period, 188 (87%) patients died; 178 of these patients died from the disease. The minimum follow-up was 46 months, and the median follow-up of the survivors was 65 months. On multivariate survival analysis of the significant factors, only cTNM stage (HR 1.84, 95% CI 1.56–2.17, p

It remains unclear whether any aspect of quality of life has a role in predicting survival in an unselected cohort of patients with gastro-oesophageal cancer. Therefore the aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between quality of life (EORTC QLQ-C30), clinico-pathological characteristics and survival in patients with gastro-oesophageal cancer. Patients presenting with gastric or oesophageal cancer, staged using the UICC tumour node metastasis (TNM) classification and who received either potentially curative surgery or palliative treatment between November 1997 and December 2002 (n=152) participated in a quality of life study, using the EORTC QLQ-C30 core questionnaire. On univariate analysis, age (P

There is increasing evidence that the presence of an ongoing systemic inflammatory response is associated with poor outcome in patients with advanced cancer. The aim of the present study was to examine whether an inflammation-based prognostic score (Glasgow Prognostic score, GPS) was associated with survival, in patients with inoperable gastro-oesophageal cancer. Patients diagnosed with inoperable gastro-oesophageal carcinoma and who had measurement of albumin and C-reactive protein concentrations, at the time of diagnosis, were studied (n=258). Clinical information was obtained from a gastro-oesophageal cancer database and analysis of the case notes. Patients with both an elevated C-reactive protein (>10 mg l−1) and hypoalbuminaemia (