Table 1 (top) – Baseline patient characteristics “
“Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of malignant biliary stricture has been offered for the last three years, but only limited data have been published. The objective of this pilot study was to assess the safety and efficacy of RFA in a multicenter registry. 36 patients (22 male, aged 65 +/− 13)) with unresectable cholangiocarcinoma (N= 25) or pancreatic cancer (n=7), gallbladder I-BET-762 nmr cancer (n=1), colon cancer (n= 1), gastric cancer (n=1) underwent RFA with stenting between June 2010 and November 2012.

The Habib TM EndoHPB catheter (emcision, Hitchin Herts, UK) was utilized for ablation, using an RITA 1500X RF generator (Angiodynamics, Latham, NY) or the ERBE generator set. Stents were placed systematically after radiofrequency ablation. Diameters of the stricture before and after RFA were recorded. Immediate and 30 day complications and stent patency were also recorded prospectively. Etiology included unresectable cholangiocarcinoma (N= 25), pancreatic cancer (n=7), gallbladder

cancer (n=1), colon cancer (n= 1), gastric cancer (n=1) and liver metastasis from Colon cancer (1). Deployment of the Habib TM EndoHPB catheter was successful in all patients. 44 strictures were treated. All strictures were stented post RFA with either plastic stents or metal stents. The mean stricture length treated was 13.75 mm. The mean stricture diameter before RFA was 2.21 +/− 1.39 mm while the mean diameter after RFA was 5.26 +/− 2.3 mm. The before and after RFA treated diameter were compared using the paired t- test and found to be significantly VE-821 in vivo different (p<0.0001). The mean ablated stricture diameter increased by 3.05 mm (T statistic 12.6 95% [2.5 - 3.5]). 10 patients underwent choledochoscopy confirming tissue necrosis and ablation. Sixpatients presented with pain after the procedure, but only one (12.5%) developed post-ERCP pancreatitis and cholecystitis which were successfully treated with pain medication and percutaneous drainage. Radiofrequency ablation seems to be an efficient treatment strategy in palliation

of malignant biliary obstructions. Multicenter RCTs are required to confirm the Cell press benefits of RFA and stenting compared to stenting alone. multicenter trial. “
“EUS is the most accurate modality for locoregional staging of EC and has been shown to impact patient management. However, the impact of EUS on meaningful clinical outcomes such as long-term survival has not been well studied. To evaluate the association between receipt of EUS and overall survival in patients diagnosed with EC. Patients aged ≥ 66 years diagnosed with EC between 1995-2008 were identified in the SEER-Medicare linked database. SEER data included date of diagnosis, cancer site, histology, extent of disease, initial treatment, and socio-demographics.