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Programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) inhibitors have shown promising results for treating advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the clinical utility of such inhibitors in HCC patients with vascular tumor thrombosis remains unclear. This study investigated PD-1 inhibitor efficacy in advanced HCC with macrovascular invasion in a clinical setting. Among the 110 patients with unresectable HCC treated with PD-1 inhibitors, 34 patients with vascular metastases in the portal vein and inferior vena cava were retrospectively compared with 34 patients without tumor thrombi. The vascular response and its effect on survival were assessed. Predictors of survival were identified using multivariate analysis. Among patients achieving objective response, those with and without thrombi exhibited similar response to immunotherapy and comparable survival. Among the 34 patients with tumor thrombi, including 13 receiving PD-1 inhibitors alone and 21 receiving it in combination with tyrosine kinase inhibitors, the median overall survival was 8.9 months (95% confidence interval 3.2–12.6). The objective response rate of vascular metastasis was 52.9%, and vascular responders had a significantly longer survival than did non-responders (11.1 vs 3.9 months). Failure to obtain a vascular response correlated significantly with increased post-treatment Child–Pugh score or class. Multivariate analysis showed that vascular response was a significant positive factor for longer overall survival. Treatment-related grade 3/4 adverse events occurred in 3 (8.8%) of the patients with tumor thrombi. Immunotherapy with PD-1 inhibitors may be a feasible treatment option for HCC with tumor thrombi owing to the high response rate of tumor thrombi and favorable survival outcomes. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00262-020-02845-9.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) combined with multitarget tyrosine kinase inhibitors (MTKIs) exert a synergistic effect and are effective in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC). However, precise data regarding the real-world clinical applications of these combination therapies in uHCC are lacking. This study compared the treatment efficacy of sorafenib versus lenvatinib in combination with programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) inhibitors in patients with uHCC in a clinical setting. Among 208 patients with uHCC treated with PD-1 inhibitors, 88 were administered with ICIs in combination with sorafenib or lenvatinib. The treatment response and survival outcomes were evaluated. Predictors of survival were assessed by multivariate analysis. A total of 49 patients were treated with PD-1 inhibitors combined with sorafenib, and 39 patients were treated with PD-1 inhibitors combined with lenvatinib. The lenvatinib group exhibited a stronger objective response rate (ORR) (20.51% vs. 16.33%) and had a higher disease control rate (41.03% vs. 28.57%) than did the sorafenib group. The median overall survival was longer in the lenvatinib group than the sorafenib group (13.1 vs. 7.8 months; hazard ratio = 0.39, p = 0.017). The incidence of treatment-related adverse events was similar. PD-1 inhibitors combined with lenvatinib can be a feasible treatment strategy for HCC patients receiving MTKI-based combination therapy. PD-1 inhibitors combined with lenvatinib resulted in more favorable survival outcomes without increased toxic effects compared with PD-1 inhibitors with sorafenib. Additional larger-scale and prospective studies should be conducted to verify the study results.

Background/purpose: Peptic ulcer bleeding remains a deadly disease, and a simple indicator of long-term outcomes is crucial. This study validated whether hypoalbuminemia and its related factors in patients with peptic ulcer bleeding can indicate long-term mortality and rebleeding under proton pump inhibitor use. Methods: The prospective cohort study enrolled 426 patients with peptic ulcer bleeding who had high risk stigmata at endoscopy and had received endoscopic hemostasis. They were divided into 79 patients in the hypoalbuminemia group (Hypo-AG, serum albumin

Secondary colon malignancy is rare and has a nonspecific presentation. Breast cancer is the second most common malignancy that metastasizes to the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Here, we present the case of a 54-year-old woman diagnosed with breast cancer and synchronous colon metastasis through a positive result obtained from stool occult blood screening. Colonoscopy revealed a subepithelial tumor of the colon. Biopsy revealed metastatic cancer with positive cytokeratin and GATA-binding protein 3 staining, as well as negative caudal-type homeobox 2 staining. A palpable right breast mass with nipple retraction was found, and invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) was diagnosed. Multiple bone, left adrenal gland, para-aortic lymph node, and contralateral breast metastases were detected. Multimodality treatment involving systemic chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and modified radical mastectomy was applied. In our clinical experience, colon metastasis from breast cancer is rare and usually mimics primary colon cancer. High-alert speculation and aggressive biopsy for patients with abnormal GI bleeding are indicated for diagnosis. Patients with colon metastasis from ILC of the breast have a poor prognosis. Therefore, multimodality treatments should be applied to improve their prognosis.

Background The index of hemoglobin (IHb) has not been applied in colonoscopy to correlate the histological features of colon polyps. This study tested whether the net change of IHb values between polyp and normal mucosa correlates with the pathological features of colon polyps. Patients and methods This study consecutively enrolled patients who underwent colonoscopy during September 2011–August 2012 in a single tertiary referral colorectal unit. Endoscopic pictures and IHb values of each part of the colon were taken at the levels of cecum, ascending colon, transverse colon, sigmoid colon, and rectum. The net change of IHb values was calculated as follows: IHb value of colon polyp minus that of the surrounding mucosa. Results A total of 117 patients (32 with hyperplastic polyp, 5 with sessile serrated adenoma, 53 with tubular adenoma, 10 with villotubular adenoma, and 3 with adenocarcinoma) were recruited. The net change of IHb values increased in following order: hyperplastic polyp, tubular adenoma, sessile serrated adenoma, villotubular adenoma, and adenocarcinoma (−3.8 ± 6.3, −1.2 ± 1.7, −1.2 ± 5.7, 2.9 ± 8.1, and 12.7 ± 9.3, respectively; p

Objective The association between hormone therapy (HT) and the risk for sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) in postmenopausal women has been described only in case reports. No large study has further evaluated the association between HT and the risk of SSNHL in postmenopausal women. The objective of our study was to investigate whether postmenopausal women with HT exhibit a risk of SSNHL. Methods This matched cohort study enrolled 13,112 postmenopausal women 45 to 79 years of age who used HT between 2000 and 2010; they were selected from the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan, and 39,336 participants without HT use were enrolled as controls matched by age and index year at a 1:3 ratio. Results We used a Cox proportional hazards regression model to identify the risk of SSNHL during 10 years of follow-up, and the results indicated no significant increase in the proportion of postmenopausal women with HT use (P = 0.814) who developed SSNHL compared with those without HT use (1.14%, 150/13, 112 vs 1.12%, 439/39, 336). After adjustment for age and other variables, the adjusted hazard ratio was 0.78 (95% CI, 0.308-1.025, P = 0.762) and showed no association between HT use and SSNHL development in postmenopausal women. Conclusions Our results showed that HT was not associated with the risk of SSNHL in postmenopausal women over a 10-year follow-up study.

Background and study aims: The need for routine second-look endoscopy in cases of peptic ulcer bleeding remains uncertain. We investigated risk factors related to the need for second-look endoscopy after endoscopic hemostasis and proton pump inhibitor (PPI) infusion. Patients and methods: We prospectively enrolled 316 patients with peptic ulcer bleeding after endoscopic hemostasis. Second-look endoscopy was scheduled after 72-hour PPI infusion (Day-3 subgroup) or one day early (Day-2 subgroup). If early rebleeding developed within 3 days, emergent second-look endoscopy was conducted. Risk factors for early rebleeding (use of E2nd score to predict the need for early second-look endoscopy) and persistent major stigmata in the Day-3 subgroup (use of R2nd score to predict the need for routine second-look endoscopy) were analyzed using univariable and multivariable regression. Results: Excluding 10 of 316 patients with early rebleeding, the rate of persistent major stigmata was lower in the Day-3 subgroup than in the Day-2 subgroup (4.8 % vs. 15.4 %, P = 0.002). Endoscopic epinephrine-injection monotherapy and hypoalbuminemia