Deutsche medizinische Wochenschrift
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Gastric and esophago-gastric junction (EGJ) adenocarcinoma are leading causes of cancer mortality and morbidity worldwide. In this short update article, we outline novel key developments in this field. Molecular defined subtypes can guide treatment decisions and create a roadmap for development of future agents in distinct subgroups of gastric cancer. ⋯ First line treatment should include trastuzmab in case of Her2 positivity. Immune checkpoint inhibitors are very effective in microsatellite instable tumors even in late treatment lines. In perspective, checkpoint inhibitors hold promise to become part of the standard treatment in the near future and novel Her2 targeted treatment approaches currently under development show promising results.
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Dtsch. Med. Wochenschr. · Nov 2021
[Multimodal, interdisciplinary therapeutic concepts for liver metastasized colorectal cancer].
About half of all patients with colorectal carcinoma (CRC) develop metastases mainly in the liver during the course of their disease. Metastatic disease is associated with a low 5-year overall survival rate of only 5-7 %, particularly when there is no possibility of local treatment. However, if there is an opportunity to resect the metastases, especially isolated liver metastases, the chance of long-term survival is approximately 15-27 % after both primary resection or secondary resection after neoadjuvant pretreatment. ⋯ Of note, for the vast majority of patients, metastatic resection does not mean cure, but a significant prolongation of overall survival with a good quality of life. Chemotherapy-free intervals after metastasis resection maintain quality of life and can help to reduce toxicity. In this review, we would like to present the "toolbox" for the multidisciplinary treatment of metastatic CRC and give recommendations how the individual modalities should be optimally used, considering tumor-specific characteristics and patient preferences.
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A majority of COVID patients suffers from hetereogenous symptoms after acute infection which are limiting patients participation in social life, activities of daily living and the return to work. In March 2021, the German Society of Pneumology initiated the AWMF S1 guideline Post-COVID/Long-COVID in order to show an individual practice-oriented, diagnostic and therapeutic clinical algorithm according to the individual symptoms. ⋯ The guideline and, accordingly, this article have an explicitly practical and clinical purpose. The guideline will be further developed by the author team based on the current increase in knowledge this is reflected in the clinical summary article.
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Older age, cardiovascular comorbidities, chronic lung diseases, and GC use were identified as independent risk factors for severe courses of COVID-19 resulting in the need of hospitalization. Glucocorticoid dosis of > 10 mg over a longer period of time should be very carefully used as there are various immunomodulatory alternatives. Of particular note, disease activity of inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRD) was also identified as an independent predictor of COVID-19 related hospitalization. ⋯ Preliminary data indicate that all available COVID-19 vaccines in Europe are not associated with higher rates of disease flares or differences of side effect profiles compared to the general population. There is no recommendation to discontinue or reduce immunomodulatory treatment in general to achieve better immune response. In the case of Rituximab, consideration should be given to postponing or switching to alternative therapies, taking into account the risk of reactivation of the underlying disease on the one hand and the improvement of a potential vaccine response on the other.
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Dtsch. Med. Wochenschr. · Nov 2021
[Perspective of General Practitioners on Management of Non-dialysis Chronic Kidney Disease - a Qualitative Study].
Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a common diagnosis in older age due to age dependent kidney function decline, as well as an increase in causative diseases like diabetes mellitus and arterial hypertension. The condition knows a long asymptomatic phase in the early stages, and only a small part of the patient will progress to end stage renal disease requiring renal replacement therapy. Patients with CKD are generally managed by General Practitioners (GPs). ⋯ GPs reported that their decisions about CKD management were based on Individual patient factors such as high age or multimorbidity.