UEG Week top 7: Endoscopic myotomy, colorectal cancer diagnoses, abdominal pain
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Healio Gastroenterology presents the following report on the top stories from UEG Week 2021.
Research explores gastric peroral endoscopic myotomy, colorectal cancer diagnoses, abdominal pain and more.
The top stories follow.
Gas-related symptoms, experienced by 80% of adults, negatively affect quality of life
A survey across two continents showed that just 11% of adults could report a lack of gas-related symptoms during a 24-hour period.
According to a presenter, the presence of those symptoms correlate with anxiety, depression and non-gastrointestinal physical symptoms. READ MORE.
G-POEM improves gastroparesis symptoms, gastric emptying
Endoscopic pyloromyotomy, also known as gastric peroral endoscopic myotomy, bested sham procedure in symptom improvement and gastric emptying among patients with severe and refractory gastroparesis, according to a presenter.
“Gastroparesis is defined by the delayed gastric emptying in the absence of mechanical obstruction. Severe gastroparesis increases mortality; the most common etiology are diabetic, postsurgical and idiopathic. The pathophysiology is multifactorial and not completely understood,” Rastislav Hustak, MD, of the Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine in Prague and University Hospital Trnava, Slovakia, said during a presentation. “Pylorospasm may play a role in the development of gastroparesis, and limited data has demonstrated some effectiveness of pylorus-directed therapies. ... Gastric peroral endoscopic myotomy (G-POEM) is a relatively new and promising procedure, but its effectiveness has not been proven.” READ MORE.
Colorectal cancer diagnoses dropped by 40% during pandemic
Amid lockdowns, many countries implemented a suspension of routine surveillance for colorectal cancer, resulting in fewer diagnoses in older patients with more complications, according to a presentation.
“We conclude that compared to the pre-pandemic period, the COVID pandemic was associated with a 40.4% decrease in the number of colorectal cancers diagnosed in a year’s time,” Maria J. Domper Arnal, of the Lozano Blesa University Hospital in Spain, said during a press conference. “Patients diagnosed of colorectal cancer during the pandemic period were older, had more frequent symptoms, an increased number of complications and a 20% more advanced stage of the disease.” READ MORE.
Frequent meal-related abdominal pain linked to disorders of gut-brain interaction
Assessing meal-related symptoms among patients with disorders of the gut-brain interaction may improve and individualize treatment, according to a presentation.
“Up to 40% of the global population frequently experience gastrointestinal symptoms that reoccur and when these patients consult a doctor their standard of care routine clinical workup comes back normal; most of these people likely suffer from disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI),” Esther Colomier, a joint PhD student at University of Gothenburg in Sweden and Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium, said during a press briefing. “These DGBIs are benign conditions in the sense that they do not lead to serious complications or affect life expectancy, but they can still negatively impact the daily lives of patients.” READ MORE.
Lirentelimab safe, effective in long-term gastritis, duodenitis treatment
Lirentelimab was safe and effective in the long-term treatment of patients with eosinophilic gastritis and/or eosinophilic duodenitis, according to a presentation.
“Lirentelimab, previously called AK002, is a humanized monoclonal antibody that targets a receptor called siglec-8 that’s highly specific in eosinophils and mast cells. When this receptor is activated, it creates an inhibitory signal that leads to eosinophil depletion and mast cell inhibition,” Evan S. Dellon, MD, MPH, of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine at Chapel Hill, said. “ENIGMA was a phase 2, multicenter, randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled study of lirentelimab (3 mg/kg) in 65 patients with eosinophilic gastritis and/or duodenitis with active moderate to severe symptoms and active eosinophilia on biopsy. Lirentelimab met the primary and secondary endpoints and was well tolerated.” READ MORE.
Cognitive behavioral therapy improves psychosocial functioning in IBD
Compared with standard of care, group cognitive behavioral therapy decreased psychological distress and improved overall health among patients with inflammatory bowel disease, according to findings.
“IBD patients commonly report increased psychological distress, sexual dysfunction and poor quality of life,” Christos Sotiropoulos, of the University of Patras division of gastroenterology and department of internal medicine, said during a presentation. “Although standard psychiatric evaluation is considered a necessary part of patients’ holistic care, there is a limited number of randomized trials focusing on the effect of psychotherapy on patients’ psychosocial functioning and on clinical laboratory indices of disease severity.” READ MORE.
Low FODMAP powders aid in IBS control, detection of triggers
Utilization of low FODMAP powders aided in control of symptom severity, somatization and depression for patients with irritable bowel syndrome in a tertiary care setting, according to findings.
“Blinded reintroduction using powders allows the most objective identification of individual FODMAP triggers,” Karen Van den Houte, PhD, researcher at KU Leuven in Leuven, Belgium, said in her presentation. READ MORE.