Ricerc@Sapienza

Introduction: Atrophic gastritis (AG) is a complex syndrome which arises as a consequence of H. pylori infection or in the context of gastric autoimmunity. It often deserves a benign course but may lead to potentially life-threatening complications: cancer and anemia. This review aims to address traditional and innovative knowledge on this often under-diagnosed disorder. Areas covered: This review covers clinical presentation, risk factors, diagnosis, and management of AG and provides an updated resource for clinicians to get insight into this challenging disorder.

BACKGROUND/AIM:
Distal gastrectomy (DG) represents the only curative treatment for most mid-lower gastric cancers (GCs). As of 2017, however, no reconstructive modality to conduct after DG has gained unanimous consensus. Additionally, most authors have investigated Billroth 1 and Roux-en-Y (RY) rather than Billroth 2 (B2) reconstruction. We analyzed B2 and RY gastrojejunostomy to identify the preferable technique and augment the available information on B2 restoration.
PATIENTS AND METHODS:

There is still no consensus on the follow-up frequency and regimen after curative resection for gastric cancer. Moreover, controversy exists regarding the utility of follow-up in improving survival, and the recommendations of experts and societies vary considerably. The main reason to establish surveillance programs is to diagnose tumor recurrence or metachronous cancers early and to thereby provide prompt treatment and prolong survival.

Background Despite different prognostic factors have been already studied, patients undergoing potentially curative resection for gastric cancer, still have a poor outcome. There is therefore the need to identify novel prognostic factors. Recently, Tumor-Stroma Ratio (TSR) was proven to be associated with prognosis in different types of cancers. Aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of TSR in gastric cancer patients. Methods 106 patients underwent gastrectomy between January 2004 and December 2015. Demographics and histopathological characteristics were collected.

Background and Objectives: Gastric cancers are usually characterized using Lauren's classification into intestinal and diffuse types. We previously documented the down-modulation of miR31, miR148a, miR204, and miR375 in gastric cancers. We aimed this manuscript to investigate these miRs with the end-points of diagnosis, Lauren's classification and prognosis. Methods: A total of 117 resected non-cardial adenocarcinomas were evaluated for miRs' expressions. The performance of miRs’ expressions for cancer diagnosis was tested using ROC curves.

Background: Gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy is the standard treatment for patients with resectable gastric cancer. Laparoscopic distal gastrectomy (LDG) is routinely performed for early gastric cancer, and its indications are increasing even for locally advanced gastric cancer. The aim of this study is to compare two middle–low-volume centers in Western countries experience on LDG versus open distal gastrectomy (ODG) for locally advanced gastric cancer in terms of surgical and oncological outcomes.

Atrophic body gastritis is a chronic disorder characterised by atrophy of the oxyntic glands leading to reduced gastric acid and intrinsic factor secretion. Serological studies reported yearly prevalence and incidence rates between 3–9% and 0–11%, respectively. In atrophic body gastritis, the presence of parietal cells and/or intrinsic factor autoantibodies, and autoimmune diseases, such as autoimmune thyroid disease or Type 1 diabetes mellitus, are often observed. These cases are often diagnosed as autoimmune gastritis.

The gastrointestinal microbiome is a complex echosystem that establishes a symbiotic, mutually beneficial relation with the host, being rather stable in health, but affected by age, drugs, diet, alcohol, and smoking. Alcohol and smoking contribute to changes in the stomach and affect H pylori-related disorders including the risk of gastric cancer. In the small intestine and in the colon alcohol causes depletion of bacteria with anti-inflammatory activity, eventually resulting in intestinal damage with “leaky gut”.

Background The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prognostic significance of perineural invasion (PNI) in locally advanced gastric cancer patients who underwent D2 gastrectomy and adjuvant chemotherapy. Methods The records of a series of 103 patients undergoing D2 gastrectomy with curative intent combined with adjuvant chemotherapy from January 2004 to December 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. Results PNI was positive in 47 (45.6%) specimens. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival rates were 81%, 55%, and 42%, respectively.

BACKGROUND:
Laparoscopic surgery for gastric tumor is considered a demanding procedure because of lymph node dissection and reconstruction. Billroth-I (B-I) reconstruction after laparoscopic distal gastrectomy is commonly performed extracorporeally because of the complexity of an intracorporeal procedure. Robotic surgery overcomes some limitations of laparoscopy, allowing to reproduce the basic maneuvers of open surgery. We describe a new technique to perform robotic B-I anastomosis.