Objective It has been discussed whether IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD), including autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP), is associated with malignancy; however, the issue has not been clarified. Methods We analyzed 113 patients with IgG4-RD in whom malignancy was not diagnosed at the time of IgG4-RD onset and the follow-up period was longer than six months. A total of 95 patients had AIP. The mean follow-up period was 73 months. The incidence of the observed malignancies was compared with the expected incidence in an age-and sex-matched general Japanese population based on the Vital Statistics of Japan. Results There were 15 malignancies (lung cancer in five patients, pancreatic cancer in two patients, gastric cancer in two patients, bile duct cancer in one patient, renal cancer in one patient, breast cancer in one patient, tongue cancer in one patient, malignant melanoma in one patient and acute myeloid leukemia in one patient) in 14 patients during the follow-up period. The calculated standardized incidence rate of the total malignancies was not significant, that is, 1.04 (95% CI 0.57-1.75). Conclusion The incidence of total malignancies in IgG4-RD patients is similar to that observed in the general population. At present, it is reasonable to conclude that IgG4-RD is not associated with an increased incidence of total malignancies.

Background: Irinotecan, oxaliplatin and leucovorin-modulated fluorouracil (FOLFIRINOX) and the combination regimen of gemcitabine and nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel (GnP) (nab-PTX) improve the prognosis of patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer. However, no study has compared the efficacy of the two regimens. We compared retrospectively the efficacy and safety of the two regimens in patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer. Methods: Thirty-eight patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer received FOLFIRINOX or GnP as first-line chemotherapy between December 2013 and September 2015.In the FOLFIRINOX group, patients received 85 mg/m 2 oxaliplatin followed by 180 mg/m 2 irinotecan and 200 mg/m 2 L-leucovorin, and by 400 mg/m 2 fluorouracil as a bolus and 2,400 mg/m 2 fluorouracil as a 46-h continuous infusion every 14 days. In the GnP group, patients received 125 mg/m 2 nab-PTX followed by 1 g/m 2 , and gemcitabine on days 1, 8 and 15, repeated every 28 days. Results: Response rate was 6.3% in the FOLFIRINOX group and 40.9% in the GnP group (P=0.025).Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 3.7 months [95% confidence interval (CI), 3.0-4.5] in the FOLFIRINOX group and 6.5 months (95% CI, 6.2-6.9 months) in the GnP group (P=0.031). Drug toxicity in the GnP group was less than in the FOLFIRINOX group. Conclusions: Efficacy and safety of GnP compare favorably to those of FOLFIRINOX in patients with pancreatic cancer. Additional prospective trials are warranted.

EUS-CDS performed by expert endoscopists was associated with a short procedure time and no risk of pancreatitis, and would therefore be feasible as a first-line treatment for patients with distal malignant biliary obstruction.

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The endoscopic management of hilar cholangiocarcinoma is challenging. ENBD should be selected as a temporary drainage method because of its low risk of complications.