Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignancies throughout the world with late diagnosis and poor prognosis. The expression of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) in GC is attributed to immune evasion and tumor progression. PD-L1 positivity has both predictive and prognostic biomarker potential. Aiming to summarize a large amount of research and to provide a definitive conclusion to the conflicting results on the prognostic significance of PD-L1 expression in GC, we performed an umbrella review based on existing meta-analyses which were published recently (2016-2021) and indexed in the PubMed database. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline was used in August 2021 to screen articles, and data extraction with quality assessment was performed on the selected meta-analyses. Review Manager (RevMan) 5.3 software was used to analyze the HR and OR with a 95% confidence interval (CI) among PD-L1 positive GC patients. We also assessed the between-study heterogeneity (I 2 ). Forest and Funnel plots were obtained, and a P-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. A total of 567 articles were screened, and we selected three meta-analyses with a total of 40 studies conducted over a period of 14 years. In our umbrella review, a total of 8,419 GC patients with an average PD-L1 positivity of 39% were analyzed. We found that PD-L1 positivity in GC patients is associated with poor prognosis (pooled HR =1.44, 95% CI: 1.24-1.68, P<0.00001) having higher mortality reducing the chances of overall survival (OS). However, there are no significant differences in PD-L1 expression among different lymph node (LN) metastases (OR=1.31, 95% CI: 0.98-1.74, P=0.07) and tumor, node, and metastasis (TNM) stages (OR=1.13, 95% CI: 0.80-1.58, P=0.50). Early identification of PD-L1 expression may help tailor cost-effective and targeted immunotherapy among GC patients. More research is needed to further understand how PD-L1 affects LN metastasis and tumor invasion.
Introduction: Sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) are a new class of medications that have been approved for the treatment of heart failure (HF) in patients with and without type-2 diabetes mellitus. It is important to be aware of the likely side effects of SGLT2i for their optimal use and enhanced patient safety. One such rare but potential side effect is the development of euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis (EDKA). Objective: We present a case report of EDKA, in a patient who was started on empagliflozin – one of the SGLT2i – highlighting its presenting signs and symptoms, pertinent laboratory findings, differential diagnosis, treatment and outcome. To strengthen our findings and hypothesis, we conducted a literature review of other cases that used SGLT2i and found similar complications. This case report with review can help recognize the serious, potentially life-threatening complications of the new class of medication SGLT2i that has been incorporated into the current practice, and also help to take appropriate steps to mitigate its adverse effects and improve overall health outcomes in our patients. Conclusions: SGLT2i are increasingly used because of their favorable effects on mortality in the chronic HF patients along with its benefits of weight loss and blood pressure reduction. A potential underdiagnosed adverse effect of SGLT2i use is diabetic ketoacidosis in a setting of normal blood glucose levels. Thus, it is reasonable to be cognizant of its side effects to prevent any untoward events in a timely manner.
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