Transcatheter arterial embolization for advanced gastric cancer bleeding: A single-center experience with 58 patients

[Complicated gastric cancer and modern treatment approaches]

Among all patients with gastric cancer, 40% admit to the hospitals due to cancer-related complications. The most common complications of gastric cancer are bleeding (22-80%), malignant gastric outlet obstruction (26-60%), and perforation (less than 5%). The main treatment methods for gastric cancer complicated by bleeding are various forms of endoscopic hemostasis, transarterial embolization and external beam radiotherapy. Surgical treatment is possible in case of ineffective management. However, surgical algorithm is not standardized. Malignant gastric outlet stenosis requires decompression: endoscopic stenting, palliative gastroenterostomy. Surgical treatment is also possible (gastrectomy, proximal or distal resection of the stomach). The main problem for patients with complicated gastric cancer is the lack of standardized algorithms and abundance of potential surgical techniques. The aim of our review is to systematize available data on the treatment of complicated gastric cancer and to standardize existing methods.

The Impact of Palliative Radiation Therapy on Patients With Advanced Gastric Cancer: Results of a Retrospective Cohort Study

Aim In advanced gastric cancer, symptoms such as loss of appetite, stomach tightness, occasional pain, vomiting blood, and melena may occur. Palliative radiation therapy may be indicated in such cases. This study aimed to investigate the clinical outcomes of palliative radiotherapy in patients with advanced-stage gastric carcinoma. Methods From April 2018 to October 2022, consecutive patients with non-resected advanced gastric cancer who received radiation therapy for palliation of symptoms were included. Results A total of 23 patients with advanced-stage gastric carcinoma were analyzed in this study. Twelve male and 11 female patients were included. The median overall survival period was 3.9 months (95% confidence interval: 1.0-8.7 months). Sixteen patients required erythrocyte transfusion before radiotherapy; for 13 patients (83%), the required units of erythrocyte transfusion decreased after palliative radiotherapy. The mean erythrocyte transfusion units significantly decreased from 4.2 (standard deviation [SD]: 4.3) to 1.7 (SD: 3.6) (p = 0.02). No adverse events of grade ≥3 were observed in this study population. Conclusion Palliative radiation therapy for advanced gastric cancer yielded a good response rate and can be a useful treatment option.

[Gastric cancer complicated by bleeding. (A systematic review)]

Bleeding as the most common complication of gastric cancer is a significant problem of modern surgery. Both oncologists and surgeons in ordinary hospitals deal with this adverse event. In addition to the well-known drugs for hemostasis, there are also generally recognized traditional methods of endoscopic hemostasis and transcatheter angiographic embolization. Surgical interventions do not lose their role too if previous hemostatic methods turned out to be ineffective. The reports devoted to radiotherapy for treatment and prevention of gastric bleeding following malignant process have been recently published. Such a wide choice of hemostatic methods prompted us to analyze the most significant recent studies regarding effectiveness of various methods and choice of the most optimal one.

Expanding the role of interventional oncology for advancing precision immunotherapy of solid tumors

Adoptive cell therapy with chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) T cells has proven effective for hematologic malignancies, but success in solid tumors has been impeded by poor intratumoral infiltration, exhaustion of effector cells from antigen burden, and an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Results from recent clinical trials and preclinical studies lend promising evidence of locoregional approaches for CAR T cell delivery, priming the tumor microenvironment, and performing adjuvant therapies that sustain T cell activity. Interventional oncology is a subspeciality of interventional radiology where imaging guidance is used to perform percutaneous and catheter-directed procedures for localized, non-surgical therapy or interrogation of solid tumors. Interventional oncology provides unique synergies with immunotherapy, which has been well-studied to improve treatment efficacy while reducing toxicities associated with systemic treatment. Besides aiding in CAR T cell delivery, priming, or the stimulation of the tumor microenvironment to promote effector survival and function, interventional oncology can also aid in the monitoring of treatment response through selective, multiplex tumor sampling and catheter-based venous sampling. This review presents an overview of interventional oncology, its various procedures, and its potential for advancing CAR T cell immunotherapy of solid tumors.

[Gastric cancer complicated by bleeding: a systematic review]

Bleeding as the most common complication of gastric cancer is a significant problem of modern surgery. Both oncologists and surgeons in ordinary hospitals deal with this adverse event. In addition to the well-known drugs for hemostasis, there are also generally recognized traditional methods of endoscopic hemostasis and transcatheter angiographic embolization. Surgical interventions do not lose their role too if previous hemostatic methods turned out to be ineffective. The reports devoted to radiotherapy for treatment and prevention of gastric bleeding following malignant process have been recently published. Such a wide choice of hemostatic methods prompted us to analyze the most significant recent studies regarding effectiveness of various methods and choice of the most optimal one.

Temperature-responsive biodegradable injectable polymers with tissue adhesive properties

Injectable polymers (IPs) exhibiting in situ hydrogel formation have attracted attention as vascular embolization and postoperative adhesion prevention materials. While utilizing hydrogels for such purposes, it is essential to ensure that they have appropriate and controllable tissue adhesion property, as it is crucial for them to not detach from their deposited location in the blood vessel or abdominal cavity. Additionally, it is important to maintain gel state in vivo for the desired period at such locations, where large amounts of body fluid exist. We had previously reported on a biodegradable IP system exhibiting temperature-responsive gelation and subsequent covalent cross-link formation. We had utilized triblock copolymers of aliphatic polyester and poly(ethylene glycol) (tri-PCGs) and its derivative containing acrylate group at the termini (tri-PCG-Acryl), exhibiting a longer and more controllable duration time of the gel state. In this study, the introduction of aldehyde groups by the addition of aldehyde-modified Pluronic (PL-CHO) was performed for conferring controllable and appropriate tissue adhesive properties on these IP systems. The IP systems containing PL-CHO, which were not covalently incorporated into the hydrogel network, exhibited tissue adhesive properties through Schiff base formation. The adhesion strength could be controlled by the amount of PL-CHO added. The IP system showed good vascular embolization performance and pressure resistance in the blood vessels. The IP hydrogel remained at the administration site in the abdominal space for 2 days and displayed effective adhesion prevention performance. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Injectable polymers (IPs), which exhibit in situ hydrogel formation, are expected to be utilized as vascular embolization and postoperative adhesion prevention materials. The tissue adhesion properties of hydrogels are important for such applications. We succeeded in conferring tissue adhesion properties onto a previously reported IP system by mixing it with Pluronic modified with aldehyde groups (PL-CHO). The aldehyde groups allowed for the formation of Schiff bases at the tissue surfaces. The tissue adhesion property could be conveniently controlled by altering the amount of PL-CHO. We revealed that the in vitro embolization properties of IPs in blood vessels could be substantially improved by mixing with PL-CHO. The IP system containing PL-CHO also exhibited good in vivo performance for postoperative adhesion prevention.

Treatment of Gastric Cancer Patients During COVID-19 Pandemic: The West is More Vulnerable

The outbreak of the COVID-19 is currently the biggest international concern. Treatment of gastric cancer (GC) patients in the pandemic era with high hospital burden and under severe oncological/surgical resource constraints should implicate a need for resource re-allocation with a new "pandemic" GC treatment algorithm. The neoadjuvant/perioperative (radio-)chemotherapy is applied in the majority of advanced GC cases with poor postoperative therapy compliance. In the East, radical surgery is frequently used in the first instance, with adjuvant chemotherapy reserved for patients with a high risk of recurrence. Moreover, the elderly population might be effectively treated by surgery alone, thus saving oncological resources for younger people who need a more aggressive approach. In this framework, prioritization is a key concept based on the severity of symptoms and the need for urgent (surgical) intervention. High-risk and marginally effective surgery should be replaced with definitive radio- and/or chemotherapy. The pandemic framework to provide optimal care for GC patients must be based on multidisciplinary decision-making and include all anti-cancer treatment options: surgery, systemic therapy, and radiotherapy. The priority and staffing dictate adherence to the new algorithm. We believe that these priorities may improve the delivery of care to all, including elderly GC patients.