Background & Aims Barrett’s esophagus (BE) with low-grade dysplasia (LGD) can progress to high-grade dysplasia (HGD) and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has been shown to be an effective treatment for LGD in clinical trials but its effectiveness in clinical practice is unclear. We compared the rate of progression of LGD following RFA to that with endoscopic surveillance alone in routine clinical practice. Methods We performed a retrospective study of patients who either underwent RFA (n=45) or surveillance endoscopy (n=125) for LGD, confirmed by at least 1 expert pathologist, from October 1992 through December 2013 at 3 medical centers in the US. Cox regression analysis was used to assess the association between progression and RFA. Results Data were collected over median follow-up periods of 889 days (inter-quartile range, 264–1623 days) after RFA and 848 days (inter-quartile range, 322–2355 days) after surveillance endoscopy (P=.32). The annual rates of progression to HGD or EAC was 6.6% in the surveillance group and 0.77% in the RFA group. The risk of progression to HGD or EAC was significantly lower among patients who underwent RFA than those who underwent surveillance (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.06; 95% confidence interval, 0.008–0.48). Conclusions Among patients with BE and confirmed LGD, rates of progression to a combined endpoint of HGD and EAC were lower among those treated with RFA than among untreated patients. Although selection bias cannot be excluded, these findings provide additional evidence for the use of endoscopic ablation therapy for LGD.

HCC occurs in Asian immigrant HBV patients younger than currently recommended screening guidelines. A large majority of these early-onset patients did not have cirrhosis at the time of their HCC diagnosis; therefore, factors other than cirrhosis need to be considered when evaluating HCC risk in young patients. Factors associated with HCC development across all ages include cirrhosis and male gender, while family history and smoking history may identify younger Asian immigrant HBV patients at risk for HCC. Prospective validation, including cost-effectiveness evaluation, is necessary, but our results suggest that younger Asian HBV patients, especially those with a smoking history or family history of HCC, appear to have an increased risk for HCC and should be considered for enrollment in early screening programs regardless of their age.

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Cancer cachexia is increasingly recognized as a poor prognostic marker for various tumor types. Weight loss in esophageal cancer is multifactorial, as patients with bulky tumors also have reduced ability to eat. We aimed to investigate the relationship between prediagnosis weight loss and mortality in esophageal cancer and to determine whether these associations vary with tumor stage. We conducted a prospective cohort study of esophageal cancer patients at two tertiary centers. We recorded baseline patient characteristics including medications, smoking, body mass index, and weight loss in the year prior to diagnosis, and collected data on treatment and outcomes. We used Cox regression modeling to determine the associations between percent weight loss and outcomes. The main outcome of interest was all-cause mortality; secondary endpoints were esophageal cancer-specific mortality and development of metastases. We enrolled 134 subjects, the majority of whom had adenocarcinoma (82.1%); median percent weight loss was 4.7% (IQR: 0%-10.9%). Increasing percent weight loss was not associated with all-cause mortality (ptrend = 0.36). However, there was evidence of significant interaction by tumor stage (p = 0.02). There was a strong and significant association between prediagnosis weight loss and mortality in patients with T stages 1 or 2 (adjusted HR 8.26 for highest versus lowest tertile, 95%CI 1.11-61.5, ptrend = 0.03) but not for T stages 3 or 4 (ptrend = 0.32). Body mass index one year prior to diagnosis was not associated with mortality. Prediagnosis weight loss was associated with increased all-cause mortality only in patients with early stage esophageal cancer. This suggests that tumor-related cachexia can occur early in esophageal cancer and represents a poor prognostic marker.

Despite the widespread use of herbal and dietary supplements (HDS), serious cases of hepatotoxicity have been reported. The popular herbal weight loss supplement, Hydroxycut, has previously been implicated in acute liver injury. Since its introduction, Hydroxycut has undergone successive transformations in its formulation; yet, cases of liver injury have remained an ongoing problem. We report a case of a 41-year-old Hispanic man who developed acute hepatocellular liver injury with associated nausea, vomiting, jaundice, fatigue and asterixis attributed to the use of a newer formulation of Hydroxycut, SX-7 Clean Sensory. The patient required hospitalisation and improved with supportive therapy. Despite successive transformations in its formulation, potential liver injury appears to remain an ongoing problem with Hydroxycut. Our case illustrates the importance of obtaining a thorough medication history, including HDS, regardless of new or reformulated product marketing efforts.

Background:Esophageal cancer remains associated with poor outcomes, yet little is known regarding factors that influence survival. Aspirin use prior to cancer diagnosis may influence outcomes. We aimed to assess the effects of prediagnosis aspirin use in patients with esophageal cancer.Methods:We conducted a prospective cohort study of newly-diagnosed esophageal cancer patients at two tertiary care centers. We assessed history of prediagnosis aspirin use, and prospectively followed patients and assessed mortality, cause of death, and development of metastases.Results:We enrolled 130 patients, the majority of whom were male (81.5%) and had adenocarcinoma (80.8%). Overall, 57 patients (43.9%) were regular aspirin users. In unadjusted analyses, we found no difference in all-cause mortality between aspirin users and nonusers. In multivariate analyses, prediagnosis aspirin use was not associated with all-cause mortality [hazard ratio (HR) 0.86, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.48–1.57] or esophageal cancer-specific mortality (HR 1.07, 95% CI 0.52–2.21). Prediagnosis aspirin use was associated with a significantly increased risk of interval metastasis (HR 3.59, 95% CI 1.08–11.96).Conclusions:In our cohort of esophageal cancer patients, prediagnosis aspirin use was not associated with all-cause or cancer-specific mortality. However, risk of interval metastatic disease was increased among those who took aspirin regularly prediagnosis. Future studies are warranted to assess whether aspirin influences the molecular characteristics of esophageal tumors, with potential prognostic and therapeutic implications.

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Acute esophageal necrosis or “black esophagus” is a rare clinical entity characterized by necrosis of the esophageal mucosa resulting from low-flow hemodynamic states. The disease commonly presents with upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage, and the diagnosis is based on the presence of circumferential black appearance of the distal esophagus with variable proximal involvement and sparing of mucosa distal to the esophagogastric junction. The disease is associated with a high mortality rate, and treatment is supportive. We describe a case of acute esophageal necrosis associated with acute postendoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis.