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Nivolumab plus ipilimumab improves overall survival in patients

Nivolumab combined with ipilimumab significantly enhances overall survival for patients with untreated unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma compared to lenvatinib or sorafenib. After a median follow-up of 35.2 months, the median overall survival was 23.7 months for nivolumab plus ipilimumab, versus 20.6 months for the other treatments. Although initial higher death rates were observed within the first six months for the combination therapy (hazard ratio 1.65), the long-term survival rates demonstrated its efficacy over time.

Journal Article by Yau T, Galle PR (…) Kudo M et 25 al. in Lancet

Copyright © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

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Salvage ESD proves effective for previously attempted colorectal lesions

Salvage endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for previously attempted colorectal lesions demonstrated an en bloc rate of 83.4% and curative resection in 73.5% of cases. Among 415 lesions treated, adverse events occurred in 11.8% of patients, with the most frequent being intraprocedural perforation. Notably, there were no procedure-related mortalities. With expert execution, salvage ESD shows high efficacy, suggesting a viable option for rectifying previously complex cases while ensuring manageable safety outcomes.

Journal Article by Arayakarnkul S, Aihara H (…) Ngamruengphong S et 47 al. in Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol

Copyright © 2025. Published by Elsevier Inc.

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New microRNA panel predicts pancreatic cancer recurrence post-surgery

A novel axon guidance-related microRNA panel (AGMP) has shown exceptional predictive capabilities for local recurrence in pancreatic cancer patients following curative surgery. This model, trained on diverse cohorts, achieved an AUC of 0.95 in the training cohort and maintained high validation scores across three independent cohorts ranging from 0.90 to 0.94. Additionally, the AGMP demonstrated robustness in predicting recurrence from pretreatment blood samples, emphasizing its potential in guiding personalized treatment strategies.

Journal Article by Nishiwada S, Nakamura K (…) Sho M et 9 al. in J Gastroenterol

© 2025. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Japanese Society of Gastroenterology.

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Machine learning effectively predicts mortality risk in elderly patients

A robust mortality risk prediction model was developed for geriatric patients over 65 undergoing non-cardiac surgery. Utilizing data from 1960 patients and machine learning techniques, the CatBoost model outperformed traditional risk assessments with an AUC of 0.96 and 0.98 in validation datasets. Key factors influencing the model’s accuracy included anion gap, age, prothrombin time, and weight. This web-based application supports clinicians in improving risk assessments and decision-making for high-risk elderly patients.

Journal Article by Ma M, Liu J (…) Xu H et 4 al. in Eur J Med Res

© 2025. The Author(s).

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Laser-endoscopic therapy shows effective early outcomes for pilonidal sinus

A combined approach of SiLaC® and EPSiT® for pilonidal sinus disease demonstrated promising results in a study involving 83 patients. The mean operative time was 25 minutes, with a low postoperative pain score of 1.2. Most patients (92.3%) returned to normal activities within 24 hours, and 95% achieved complete healing within three weeks. The recurrence rate at six months stood at just 3.6%, with high aesthetic satisfaction reported by 88% of patients.

Journal Article by Ouali M in Front Surg

© 2025 Ouali.

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Minimally invasive surgery shows promise for gallbladder cancer

A comparison of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) and open radical cholecystectomy for gallbladder cancer revealed no significant difference in mortality or major morbidity. However, MIS patients experienced shorter hospital stays and lower rates of blood transfusions and superficial surgical site infections. Specifically, the average hospital stay was three days for MIS compared to five for open surgery. These findings indicate that MIS may be a viable alternative to traditional open resections for managing gallbladder cancer.

Journal Article by Hale J, Landrum KR (…) LeCompte MT et 3 al. in Surg Endosc

© 2025. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

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Laparoscopic-assisted block enhances pain management in surgery.

A study found that the subcostal dual laparoscopic-assisted transversus abdominis plane block significantly reduced morphine requirements and improved recovery quality compared to ultrasound-guided techniques and placebo for patients undergoing pfannenstiel incision. The analysis showed an absolute difference of -8.9 mg and -10.3 mg in morphine doses with high patient-reported recovery scores of 13 points favoring the laparoscopic approach. No notable difference was observed with supraumbilical transverse incisions. Efficacy appears independent of sensory block distribution.

Journal Article by Salmonsen CB, Lange KHW (…) Bertelsen CA et 7 al. in Surg Endosc

© 2025. The Author(s).

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Enhanced hemorrhoidectomy technique shows improved outcomes

A combination of Milligan-Morgan hemorrhoidectomy with rubber band ligation and polidocanol foam sclerotherapy significantly lowers recurrence rates and enhances patient satisfaction compared to traditional hemorrhoidectomy. In a study involving 255 patients, the MMH + RBL + PFS group evidenced a recurrence rate of just 0.78%, versus 7.09% with standard MMH, while achieving higher satisfaction scores (91.41% vs. 81.10%). Additionally, postoperative pain and urinary retention were reduced, demonstrating the method’s safety and efficacy.

Journal Article by Long Q, Wen Y and Li J in BMC Gastroenterol

© 2025. The Author(s).

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Predictive model identifies high-risk patients for incisional infections

A study involving 329 patients with acute intestinal obstruction revealed that 11.25% developed postoperative incisional infections, primarily caused by gram-negative bacteria like Escherichia coli. High resistance rates to ceftriaxone were noted. Researchers developed a predictive model using six significant variables: age ≥ 60 years, diabetes, operative time ≥ 3 hours, colorectal obstruction, enterostomy, and hemoglobin. The model demonstrated excellent discriminatory ability, with AUCs of 0.952 and 0.982 for training and validation sets, respectively.

Journal Article by Wang Q, Zhu Y (…) Wang X et 3 al. in Eur J Med Res

© 2025. The Author(s).

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Omental wrapping with stenting reduces complications after surgery.

A new surgical technique using omental wrapping and stenting around pancreaticojejunal anastomosis significantly reduced postoperative complications. In a study of 48 patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy, group B, which received the omental flap and stent, showed lower rates of pancreatic fistula (4.2% vs. 20.8%), hemorrhage, biliary fistula, and delayed gastric emptying. This group also experienced reduced overall morbidity (8.3% vs. 41.7%) and shorter hospital stays (10.9 vs. 15.3 days).

Journal Article by Elmeligy HA, Azzam AM, Ossama Y and Rady M in BMC Surg

© 2025. The Author(s).

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