Bezoars are intraluminal conglomerates of indigestible foreign materials that accumulate in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. They consist of vegetable or fruit fibers, hairs or other substances; accordingly, bezoars are classified as phytobezoars, trichobezoars, pharmacobezoars, etc. Although sometimes asymptomatic, bezoars may cause serious symptoms, such as abdominal discomfort or pain, dysphagia, hematemesis, or even life-threatening entities (GI bleeding, obstruction or perforation). Current technological applications have contributed to the diagnostic and therapeutic approach to these masses, mainly through endoscopic techniques able to diagnose, fragment and extract bezoars, as well as laparoscopic and other surgical modalities that may be used to treat serious complications. Although bezoars were described centuries ago and the term was officially introduced in the mid nineties by Quain, they are still a demanding pathological entity. Their pathophysiology, accurate and prompt diagnosis, as well as successful and minimally invasive treatment, remain under investigation and see continuous progress. Current advances in these challenging areas are discussed in this review, which attempts to present an in-depth study of bezoars along with the well-established modalities and techniques.

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Colorectal cancer hepatic metastases represent the final stage of a multi-step biological process. This process starts with a series of mutations in colonic epithelial cells, continues with their detachment from the large intestine, dissemination through the blood and/or lymphatic circulation, attachment to the hepatic sinusoids and interactions with the sinusoidal cells, such as sinusoidal endothelial cells, Kupffer cells, stellate cells and pit cells. The metastatic sequence terminates with colorectal cancer cell invasion, adaptation and colonisation of the hepatic parenchyma. All these events, termed the colorectal cancer invasion-metastasis cascade, include multiple molecular pathways, intercellular interactions and expression of a plethora of chemokines and growth factors, and adhesion molecules, such as the selectins, the integrins or the cadherins, as well as enzymes including matrix metalloproteinases. This review aims to present recent advances that provide insights into these cell-biological events and emphasizes those that may be amenable to therapeutic targeting. Paschos KA, Majeed AW, Bird NC. Natural history of hepatic metastases from colorectal cancer -pathobiological pathways with clinical significance.