Weekly administration of gemcitabine provides a safe, well-tolerated, and effective treatment for chemotherapy naïve patients with advanced cholangiocarcinoma, particularly with a gallbladder origin.

Most pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients present with locally advanced or metastatic disease at diagnosis. in this retrospective study the authors evaluated the prognostic significance of the CEA and CA-19.9 serum tumor markers in advanced (unresectable) pancreatic cancer in correlation to other prognostic factors (demographic data, clinical parameters, treatment modality) and survival time using univariate and multivariate methods, in 215 patients with locally advanced (unresectable) or metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma. median survival was 29.0 weeks, with 21.9% of patients surviving 36 weeks. Among 24 potential prognostic variables, 19 were associated with shorter survival. Multivariate analysis indicated that ten factors had a significant independent effect on survival: chemotherapy, surgery, tumor localization, elevated C-reactive protein, elevated CeA, CA 19-9 (>30 x nl), jaundice at diagnosis, weight loss >10%, distant metastases, and Karnofsky performance status. Patients who had only palliative therapy had a hazard ratio of 8.94 versus those who underwent palliative surgery and chemotherapy. Although certain clinical, biochemical and biological factors remain important predictors of survival in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer, CA-19.9 serum tumor marker levels retain independent prognostic value for poor survival.

High serum levels of CRP, CER and AAG in cancer patients do not seem to be related to H pylori infection. Retinol-binding protein seems to discriminate between infected and non-infected patients with gastric carcinoma. Further studies are needed to explore if it is directly involved in the pathogenesis of the disease or is merely an epiphenomenon.

BackgroundMost patients with ductal pancreatic adenocarcinoma are diagnosed with locally advanced (unresectable) or metastatic disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic significance of DNA ploidy in relation with established clinical and laboratory variables in such patients.MethodsTwo hundred and twenty six patients were studied retrospectively. Twenty two potential prognostic variables (demographics, clinical parameters, biochemical markers, treatment modality) were examined.ResultsMean survival time was 38.41 weeks (95% c.i.: 33.17–43.65), median survival 27.00 weeks (95% c.i.: 23.18–30.82). On multivariate analysis, 10 factors had an independent effect on survival: performance status, local extension of tumor, distant metastases, ploidy score, anemia under epoetin therapy, weight loss, pain, steatorrhoea, CEA, and palliative surgery and chemotherapy. Patients managed with palliative surgery and chemotherapy had 6.7 times lower probability of death in comparison with patients without any treatment. Patients with ploidy score > 3.6 had 5.0 times higher probability of death in comparison with patients with ploidy score < 2.2 and these with ploidy score 2.2–3.6 had 6.3 times higher probability of death in comparison with patients with ploidy score < 2.2.ConclusionAccording to the significance of the examined factor, survival was improved mainly by the combination of surgery and chemotherapy, and the presence of low DNA ploidy score.