Volume 75 - 2012 - Fasc.1 - Case series
Splenic metastasis from gastrointestinal neoplasms : a review
Spleen metastases from solid tumours are rather exceptional, especially for those located in the digestive tract. Although these lesions are usually associated with multivisceral disease at terminal stage, several cases of isolated lesions have also been described in the literature.
Diagnosis of spleen lesions associated with multivisceral disease rarely influences patient's outcome. On the other hand, isolated, only-splenic lesions could be curatively treated, allowing physi- cians to obtain better patient's survival. The aim of this article is therefore to review and summarize a systematic search of all the literature in English based on a Medline search (Pubmed) carried out from January 2000 to February 2011, focusing on only-spleen lesions secondary to digestive tract cancers, and pointing out diag- nostic and treatment challenges medical oncologists have to face in their clinical practice. (Acta gastroenterol. belg., 2012, 75, 3-4).
Management of esophageal superficial tumors : non take away approaches
Development of screening programs in patients with high risk of developing esophageal cancer, as well as recent advances in diag- nostic endoscopic techniques, have allowed clinicians to improve early detection of esophageal malignant tumors. Surgical resection, although currently considered as the standard of care for patients with early stage esophageal cancer, is sometimes contra-indicated. In this subset of patients, endoscopic resection techniques includ- ing endoscopic mucosal resections (EMR), thermal or non-thermal laser, or cryoablation are amongst the well-recognized modalities safely and efficiently used by gastroenterologists. However, in some patients, these options are contra-indicated or incomplete, necessi- tating medical treatments such as chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. A systematic search of all the English literature regarding non-take away approaches has therefore been performed, based on a MEDLINE search (Pubmed) carried out between January 1990 and March 2011. Future radiation therapy developments will also be pointed out. (Acta gastroenterol. belg., 2012, 75, 5-8).
