Digestive System
Online Learning Platform

Although Adenocarcinoma is the most rapidly growing esophageal cancer, still the most common type of esophageal cancer worldwide is esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). The highest-risk area, called the “esophageal cancer belt,” includes portions of northern Iran, southern Russia, central Asian countries, and northern China, where SCC dominates all cases by 90%. These are very dense populated areas.

However, in Western countries like the United States, esophageal adenocarcinoma has become more common in recent decades, particularly in the lower part of the esophagus and the gastroesophageal junction (GEJ). This increase in adenocarcinoma is often linked to conditions like Barrett esophagus and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

In summary:

• Worldwide: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the most common.
• Western countries (US and Europe): Esophageal adenocarcinoma has surpassed SCC in incidence.

Difficult question, but summarizes the (sometimes) difficult scores.
Montreal classification is easy - A for Age  L for location and B for phenotype.  There is ileal and colonic involvement so it is L3 (Ileocolonic) Small p is added when it is perianal disease (abscesses, ulcers or fistulae , but not skin tags or fissures)

The HBI takes into account the general well being , Abdominal pain   Number of liquid stools per day, Abdominal mass and extrainestinal Complications ( arthralgia, uveitis, erythema nodosum, aphthous ulcers, pyoderma gangrenosum ,anal fissure , new fistula or abscess)

<5 Remission   5-7 Mild disease  8-16 Moderate disease  >16 Severe disease

Her score is 9 (Moderate) But this could be guessed based on her level of pain, stools and absence of systemic inflamamtory reponse.

Check the HBI score

This is a healthy patient wihout history of mental health illness or impaired cognitive issues.  Age and sex may suggest EoE or peptic stricture as possible etiology.

As there is no suspicion of intentional multiple foreing body ingestions, x ray would not be necessary. (Xray can be very useful to guide us when radiopaque objects have been ingested, to see whereabouts in the GI tract they may be lying)  As there is no subcutaneous emphysema or abdominal pain or guarding to suggest any perforation , a CT scan would not be needed.

As per the timing, ASGE  recommends emergent endoscopy for complete esophageal obstruction. ESGE   recommends emergent (preferably within 2 hours, but at the latest within 6 hours) gastroduodenoscopy for foreign bodies inducing complete esophageal obstruction, and for sharp-pointed objects or batteries in the esophagus. The cough and sialorrhaea suggest a complete obstruction.

They recommend urgent (within 24 hours)  for other esophageal foreign bodies without complete obstruction 

AGA-For patients with suspected non bony food bolus impaction without complications (eg,no evidence of perforation or respiratory distress),endoscopy may be performed without obtaining radiographs.

Glucagon 1mg iv can be given to induce esophageal relaxation and try and avoid urgent endoscopy, however it should not delay endoscopy and definetely we do not need 6-10 hours to see if it works.

Based on the KSGE (Korean society of GI endoscopy) 2021 guidelines : Repeat EUS-guided acquisition provides a conclusive diagnosis in the majority of cases with indeterminate cytopathological diagnoses and, therefore, should be strongly recommended ahead of other modalities, such as biopsy under computed tomography-guidance or diagnostic surgical exploration.

Also common sense will tell us repeating EUS is the less invasive option and has high chances of being successful in tissue adquisition. If persisting negative/inconclusive material, MDT re-discussion should take place and possibly surgical team should speak to the patient regarding risks and benefits of  laparoscopic examination or even proceeding to pancreatectomy -the incidence of benign disease among patients undergoing pancreatic resection for suspicion of malignancy is extremely variable, ranging  from roughly 4-13% , but in some series has been reported up to 35%.

See AASLD  and BSG guidelines

Difficult case. In this patient, option A is false- This is a very early stage ≤2cm (BCLC 0)

HCC requieres always an individualised treatment. Knowing that patient is fit and wihtout portal hypertension, he could be amenable for resection. However ablation has been proved to be as effective as surgery with less adverse events, so it would probably be indicated in such as small lesion as first line. The bigger the lesions, the less efficacious ablation is as can leave tumoral tissue untreated. In this case, transplant  certainly could be considered but would not be an ideal first line option as still is <2cm and Child A does not warrant the inclusion in list.

If this HCC was between 2-5cm, treatment could be trasplant (however Child A has per se no indication for transplant, being in the list with modify MELD can be tricky and has risk of tumour progression) surgical resection or ablation, based on radiological features , patient background and preferences

If multifocal HCC,  transplant is ususally the recommended 1st line therapy, whereas TACE/SIRT would be an option in non transplant candidates, unless the lesions are in the same lobe and accesible, in which case occasionally surgical resection can be offered.

If mass>7cm, this surpasses even the Expanded Milan criteria, and we know the risks of HCC invasion, recurrence and mortality after transplant are too high, therefore TACE/ SIRT/ Stereotactic resection or surgical resection are options based on patients features.

Whenever an HCC (Hepatocelullar carcinoma) is resected in an early starge, 5-year recurrence occurs in up to 60-70% of the cases,  either as a result of intrahepatic metastases (true recurrent disease) or de novo cancer in the remaining cirrhotic liver .  However, similar rates of reccurence occurs if we use ablation instead of surgical resection (  between 60% and 85% recurrence with ablation) via the same mechanisms (either incomplete tumor erradication, or new tumor formation)

5-year recurrence after liver transplant is way lower (8-20%) and of course varies depending on the tumoral burden --> potential microvascular invasion at the time of the transplant.

See BSG guidelines

Should be endoscopic ablation (Radiofrequency or similar).  We cannot resect endoscopically a lesion that we cannot see.  Check the guidelines

Check the guidelines

Pancreatic cancer tends to have an ominous character, partly cause disease is a) advanced age, so even in resectable cases many patients are unfit for surgery and b) most cancers are borderline resecable, irresectable or metastatic. (80% of the pancreatic cancers are diagnosed in advanced stages)

Even in patient with surgical resection, the 5-year survival is quoted as 27%

A recent review showed that 5-year survival is 30% in Ia (T1 N0 M0- single 2cm or less panc mass)  dropping to 11.8% in Ib ( T2 N0 M0, this is single mass 2-4cm). When putting all the stages together, the 5 year survival is only 5%.

The best possible outcome would theorically be in an early cancer, 2cm or less (T1), found either incidentally (or if it gives symptoms very early), resectable (non conctacting vessels and not involving other anatomical structures, as well as surgically accesible)  and in a fit patient amenable for surgery.

Check the guidelines