Backgrounds The inflammatory biomarker “C-reactive protein to albumin ratio (CAR)” has been reported to significantly correlate to a variety of human cancers. However, there are conflicting results regarding the prognostic value of CAR in colorectal cancer. Previous studies mainly assessed patients in Eastern countries, so their findings may not be applicable to the Western population. Therefore, this updated meta-analysis aimed to investigate the prognostic value of pre-treatment CAR and outcomes of patients with colorectal cancer. Methods We conducted a systematic search for eligible literature until October 31, 2020, using PubMed and Embase databases. Studies assessing pre-treatment CAR and outcomes of colorectal cancer were included. Outcome measures included overall survival, disease-free survival, progression-free survival, and clinicopathological features. The pooled hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used as effective values. Results A total of 15 studies involving 6329 patients were included in this study. The pooled results indicated that a high pre-treatment CAR was associated with poor overall survival (HR 2.028, 95% CI 1.808−2.275, p < 0.001) and poor disease-free survival/progression-free survival (HR 1.768, 95% CI 1.321–2.365, p < 0.001). Subgroup analysis revealed a constant prognostic value of the pre-treatment CAR despite different study regions, sample size, cancer stage, treatment methods, or the cut-off value used. We also noted a correlation between high pre-treatment CAR and old age, male sex, colon cancer, advanced stage (III/IV), large tumor size, poor differentiation, elevated carcinoembryonic antigen levels, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and the modified Glasgow prognostic score. Conclusions High pre-treatment CAR was associated with poor overall survival, disease-free survival, and progression-free survival in colorectal cancer. It can serve as a prognostic marker for colorectal cancer in clinical practice.

Backgrounds Though better short-term outcomes were frequently reported, differences in specimen parameters and the rate of subsequent peritoneal recurrence between intracorporeal anastomosis (IA) and extracorporeal anastomoses (EA) for laparoscopic right hemicolectomy have not been analyzed. We aimed to compare the pathologic differences and oncological outcomes between these two approaches. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 217 consecutive patients who underwent laparoscopic right hemicolectomies from September 2016 to April 2018 and classified them into IA and EA groups, based on the approach used. Propensity score matching analysis was performed, after which 101 patients were included in each group with the patients matched for demographics, tumor stage, and localization. Results The IA group had a longer operative time, shorter length of stay, shorter time to first flatus and tolerating a soft diet, and better pain scale scores at postoperative day 3. No inter-group differences in conversion, postoperative complication, mortality, or readmission rates were found. The IA group had a longer resected colon length (23.67 vs. 19.75 cm, p = 0.010) and nearest resected margin (7.51 vs. 5.40 cm, p = 0.010) for cancer near the hepatic flexure. There are comparable 3-year overall survival (87.7% vs. 89.6%, p = 0.604) and disease-free survival (75.0% vs. 75.7%, p = 0.842) between the IA and EA groups. The rate of peritoneal recurrence was similar between the two groups (5.9% vs. 7.9%, p = 0.580). Conclusions The overall survival, disease-free survival, and the rate of peritoneal recurrence were comparable between the IA and EA procedures. IA ensures better recovery and comparable complications to EA and achieved a more precise tumor excision; thus, IA can be considered a safe procedure for patients with right-sided colon lesions.

Research on the relationship between the geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) and postoperative complications/oncological outcomes in elderly colorectal cancer (CRC) patients is limited. This study investigated the prognostic value of the GNRI in aged CRC patients. We retrospectively analyzed 1206 consecutive CRC patients aged over 75 years who underwent curative-intent surgery from January 2008 to December 2015 and categorized them into high GNRI (≥98) and low GNRI (<98) groups according to a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Uni- and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to explore the association of the GNRI with postoperative complications. Kaplan–Meier survival analyses and the Cox proportional hazard model were used to explore the association between GNRI and survival. We discovered that GNRI is an independent risk factor for postoperative complications (HR: 1.774, p = 0.037). Surgical site infection, wound dehiscence and pneumonia were more common in patients with GNRI < 98. Survival analysis showed significantly worse overall survival and disease-free survival in the low GNRI group (both p < 0.001). In the multivariate analysis, GNRI < 98 was an independent risk factor for OS (HR: 1.329, p = 0.031) and DFS (HR: 1.312, p = 0.034). Thus, preoperative GNRI can be effectively used to predict postoperative complications and long-term survival in elderly CRC patients after curative surgery.

Non-technical summary When vascular volume is expanded, atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) released from the heart acts to restore plasma volume by increasing renal water excretion, causing vasodilatation and increasing vascular permeability to water and macromolecules. Previous experiments using mice with selective deletion of ANP receptors in vascular endothelial cells emphasized the importance of vascular permeability regulation by ANP in plasma volume restoration because this genetic manipulation of ANP action on vascular permeability limited the restoration of vascular volume after an acute increase in plasma volume. Here we demonstrate retention of intravenously infused fluid in wild-type mice in which the response to endogenous ANP was attenuated by the pharmacological agent rolipram that stabilized the endothelial barrier by tightening adhesion between adjacent endothelial cells. The strategy may provide novel approaches to the clinical problem of maintenance of vascular volume after acute intravenous fluid infusion.Abstract We tested the hypothesis that inhibition of phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) with rolipram to increase vascular endothelial cAMP and stabilize the endothelial barrier would attenuate the action of endogenous atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) to increase vascular permeability to the plasma protein albumin after an acute plasma volume expansion. After rolipram pretreatment (8 mg (kg body wt) −1 , intraperitoneal, 30 min) more than 95% of the peak increase in plasma volume after volume expansion (4.5% bovine serum albumin, 114 μl (g body wt)−1 h −1 , 15 min) remained in the vascular space 75 min after the end of infusion, whereas only 67% of the fluid was retained in volume-expanded animals with no rolipram pretreatment. Rolipram significantly decreased 30 min fluorescently labelled albumin clearance (μl (g dry wt)−1 ) relative to untreated volume-expanded controls in skin (e.g. back, 10.4 ± 1.6 vs. 19.5 ± 3.6, P = 0.04), muscle (e.g. hamstring, 15.0 ± 1.9 vs. 20.8 ± 1.4, P = 0.04) and in colon, caecum, and rectum (average reduction close to 50%). The mass of muscle and skin tissue accounted for 70% of volume-expansion-dependent albumin shifts from plasma to interstitium. The results are consistent with observations that the PDE4 inhibitor rolipram attenuates ANP-induced increases in vascular permeability after infusion of exogenous ANP and observations of elevated central venous pressure after a similar volume expansion in mice with selective deletion of the endothelial ANP receptor. These observations may form the basis for new strategies to retain intravenous fluid containing macromolecules.

Neoadjuvant short course radiotherapy (SCRT) followed by consolidation chemotherapy (CCT) is an alternative treatment for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). We performed this systematic review and meta-analysis to explore the tumor response and oncological outcomes of this new approach compared to conventional chemoradiotherapy (CRT). An online search of the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases was performed. This review included 7507 patients from 14 different cohorts. The pCR rate was higher with SCRT + CCT than that with CRT (RR: 1.60; 95% CI: 1.35–1.91; p < 0.01). SCRT + CCT provided a higher ypN0 response (RR: 1.06; 95% CI: 1.01–1.12; p = 0.02). There were no differences in R0 resection and positive CRM rates; however, more sphincter-preservation surgeries were performed in the SCRT + CCT arm (RR: 1.06; 95% CI: 1.01–1.11; p = 0.02). There was no difference in the OS and DFS between the SCRT + CCT and the CRT arms (OS: HR: 0.85, p = 0.07; DFS: HR: 0.88, p = 0.08). The compliance and toxicity were comparable between the SCRT and CRT groups. In the subgroup analysis, patients who underwent four or more cycles of CCT had better pCR and DFS events. Therefore, SCRT followed by consolidation chemotherapy might be an effective alternative treatment for LARC.