Objectives Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a leading cause of hospitalization for a gastrointestinal illness in the United States. We hypothesized that enhanced recovery approaches may lead to earlier time to refeeding in patients with AP. Methods We performed a double-blind, randomized controlled trial of patients admitted with mild AP from July 2016 to April 2017 at a tertiary medical center. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either enhanced recovery consisting of nonopioid analgesia, patient-directed oral intake, and early ambulation versus standard treatment with opioid analgesia and physician-directed diet. Primary study end point was time to oral refeeding on an intent-to-treat basis. Secondary end points included differences in pancreatitis activity scores, morphine equivalents, length of stay, and 30-day readmissions. Results Forty-six participants enrolled. Median age was 53.1 years, and 54.3% were female. There was significant reduction in time to successful oral refeeding in the enhanced recovery versus standard treatment group (median, 13.8 vs 124.8 hours, P < 0.001). Pancreatitis activity scores trended lower at 48 to 96 hours among patients assigned to enhanced recovery (mean, 43.6 vs. 58.9, P = 0.32). No differences found in length of stay or 30-day readmissions. Conclusion In this randomized controlled trial, enhanced recovery was safe and effective in promoting earlier time to refeeding in patients hospitalized with AP.

In an analysis of patients with GIM listed in the Kaiser Permanente Southern California database, 2.7% were diagnosed with gastric cancer; almost 70% of cases of gastric cancer were detected at the time of GIM diagnosis. Family history and extensive metaplasia were associated with an increased risk of subsequent gastric cancer. Targeted surveillance of patients with these criteria could increase early detection of gastric cancer.

In the largest cohort of pancreatic cancer patients examined to date, cachexia and not obesity is independently associated with worse survival in PDA and its effect is negated by systemic chemotherapy.