Tumour cells are known to be highly glycolytic, thus producing high amounts of lactic acid. Monocarboxylate transporters (MCTs), by promoting the efflux of the accumulating acids, constitute one of the most important mechanisms in the maintenance of tumour intracellular pH.Since data concerning MCT expression in colorectal carcinomas (CRC) are scarce and controversial, the present study aimed to assess the expressions of MCT1, 2, and 4 in a well characterized series of CRC and assess their role in CRC carcinogenesis. CRC samples (126 cases) were analyzed for MCT1, MCT2, and MCT4 immunoexpression and findings correlated with clinico-pathological parameters. Expression of all MCT isoforms in tumour cells was significantly increased when compared to adjacent normal epithelium. Remarkably, there was a significant gain of membrane expression for MCT1 and MCT4 and loss of plasma membrane expression for MCT2 in tumour cells. Plasma membrane expression of MCT1 was directly related to the presence of vascular invasion. This is the larger study on MCT expression in CRC and evaluates for the first time its clinico-pathological significance. The increased expression of these transporters suggests an important role in CRC, which might justify their use, especially MCT1 and MCT4, as targets in CRC drug therapy.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the cancer models and most of the carcinogenic steps are presently well understood. Therefore, successful preventive measures are currently used in medical practice. However, CRC is still an important public health problem as it is the third most common cancer and the fourth most frequent cause of cancer death worldwide. Nowadays, pathologic stage is a unique and well-recognized prognostic indicator, however, more accurate indicators of the biologic behavior of CRC are expected to improve the specificity of medical treatment. Angiogenesis plays an important role in the growth and progression of cancer but its role as a prognostic factor is still controversial. Probably the most important clinical implication of tumor angiogenesis is the development of anti-angiogenic therapy. The goal of this review is to critically evaluate the role of angiogenic markers, assessed by either endoglin-related microvessel density or expression of vascular endothelial growth factor family members in the CRC setting and discuss the role of these angiogenic markers in anti-angiogenic therapies.

Gastric cancer (GC) has high mortality owing to its aggressive nature. Tumor angiogenesis plays an essential role in the growth, invasion, and metastatic spread of GC. The aim of this work was to review the angiogenic biomarkers related to the behavior of GC, documented in the literature. A search of the PubMed database was conducted with the MeSH terms: “Stomach neoplasms/blood [MeSH] or stomach neoplasms/blood supply [MeSH] and angiogenic proteins/blood [Major]”. A total of 30 articles were initially collected, and 4 were subsequently excluded. Among the 26 articles collected, 16 examined the role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), 4 studied endostatin, 3 investigated angiopoietin (Ang)-2, 2 studied the Ang-like protein 2 (ANGTPL2), and 1 each examined interleukin (IL)-12, IL-8, and hypoxia inducible factor. Regarding VEGF, 6 articles concluded that the protein was related to lymph node metastasis or distant metastases. Five articles concluded that VEGF levels were elevated in the presence of GC and decreased following tumor regression, suggesting that VEGF levels could be a predictor of recurrence. Four articles concluded that high VEGF levels were correlated with poor prognosis and lower survival rates. Ang-2 and ANGTPL2 were elevated in GC and associated with more aggressive disease. Endostatin was associated with intestinal GC. VEGF is the most extensively studied angiogenic factor. It is associated with the presence of neoplastic disease and lymph node metastasis. It appears to be a good biomarker for disease progression and remission, but not for diagnosis. The data regarding other biomarkers are inconclusive.

Sarcopenia is as an important prognostic factor in inflammatory bowel disease. In patients with Crohn’s disease (CD), sarcopenia has impact on morbidity after surgical resection. Aim: Evaluate sarcopenia impact on prognosis of patients with CD and assess CD sarcopenia prevalence. An retrospective study of 58 CD patients diagnosed histologically and imagiologically at the Hospital de Braga between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2017. In order to obtain the Skeletal Muscle Index (SMI), it was calculated the muscle area at L3 level, from computed tomography. The t-test was used for independent samples, Mann-Whitney test, chi-square test and Fisher’s exact test for comparison between groups with and without sarcopenia. Sarcopenia prevalence was 41.4% (24 patients). Patients with sarcopenia presented a muscle area with a mean value of 119.88 cm2 (±28.10), significantly lower than that of the group of patients without sarcopenia (t(56) = 2.191, p = 0.033, d = 0.60), and values of SMI with median 42.86 cm2/m2, significantly lower than patients without sarcopenia (t(56) = 2.815, p = 0.007, d = 0.08). Regarding postoperative complications, significant differences were observed between the two groups (p = 0.000). In this study, sarcopenia was significantly associated with postoperative morbidity, as reported in the literature.

Rosa N, Martins S, Lamelas J. Isolated splenic metastasis of colon cancer: a case report and literature review. J Coloproctol, 2012;32(1): 89-94. AbstRACt:Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of death in the elderly and about 20% of these patients present metastasis at diagnosis, most often in the liver. Other common metastatic sites include: lung, bone and brain. Isolated splenic metastases are rare, and they are usually a sign of widespread disease. The authors report a case of the rare occurrence of synchronous isolated splenic metastasis, diagnosed by computed tomography in the preoperative staging of a patient with CRC.Keywords: colorectal cancer; metastatic disease; splenic metastasis.Resumo: O câncer colorretal (CCR) é uma das principais causas de morte na população geriátrica, aproximadamente, 20% desses pacientes já apresentam, na altura do diagnóstico, metástase neoplásica, mais frequentemente hepática. Outros locais comuns de metastização incluem: pulmão, ossos e cérebro. As metástases esplênicas isoladas de CCR são raras, sendo habitualmente sinal de doença generalizada. Os autores relatam um caso clínico da ocorrência rara de metástases esplênicas isoladas síncronas, diagnosticadas através da tomografia computadorizada durante o estadiamento pré-operatório de um doente com CCR.Palavras-chave: câncer colorretal; metástase neoplásica; metástases esplênicas.

Esophageal cancer has an aggressive behavior with rapid tumor mass growth and frequently poor prognosis; it is known as one of the most fatal types of cancer worldwide. The identification of potential molecular markers that can predict the response to treatment and the prognosis of this cancer has been subject of a vast investigation in the recent years. Among several molecules, various angiogenic factors that are linked to the tumor development, growth, and invasion, such as VEGF, HGF, angiopoietin-2, IL-6, and TGF-B1, were investigated. In this paper, the authors sought to review the role of these angiogenic factors in prognosis and hypothesize how they can be used as a treatment target.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most frequent cancers and is a leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Treatments used for CRC may include some combination of surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and targeted therapy. The current standard drugs used in chemotherapy are 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin in combination with irinotecan and/or oxaliplatin. Most recently, biologic agents have been proven to have therapeutic benefits in metastatic CRC alone or in association with standard chemotherapy. However, patients present different treatment responses, in terms of efficacy and toxicity; therefore, it is important to identify biological markers that can predict the response to therapy and help select patients that would benefit from specific regimens. In this paper, authors review CRC genetic markers that could be useful in predicting the sensitivity/resistance to chemotherapy.

Introduction Colorectal cancer, in Portugal, presents as the second most common cancer and of cancer death cause. CRC is a disease of the elderly; however, there has been an increase of incidence in younger patients and doubts have emerged about its behavior, characteristics and prognosis in this group. Methods In this study, we have evaluated a sample of 512 patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer submitted to surgical treatment in the period between January 1st, 2005 and January 1st, 2010, through a comparative clinical, pathological and survival analysis of patients under and over 45 years old (Groups I and II respectively). Results Group I patients accounted for 5.5% of the sample. There was a predominance of males and the most common site was the left colon in both age groups. In the younger group, the histological type presents with a predominance of tumors with a mucinous component and with signet ring cells (p = 0.001), however, there was no difference in terms of overall survival and disease-free survival. Conclusion In this study, colorectal cancer at younger ages shows similar characteristics to those of older patients.