Although the focus in the last decades has been on the overdiagnosis of incidentally detected thyroid carcinomas in early stages, the other extreme of the disease is represented by locally advanced tumors with the invasion of neighboring structures. These are infrequent tumors, but they have a high complexity and a poor prognosis. In the absence of effective therapies allowing preoperative tumor reduction, in order to achieve a more restricted surgery, treatment was limited to aggressive surgery with resection of the aerodigestive tract and major vascular structures or palliative treatment. However, due to the increased knowledge of tumor biology and the results that tyrosine kinase inhibitors have achieved in the treatment of radioactive iodine-refractory tumors, neoadjuvant therapy with a curative intent has emerged as a reality to be taken into account when dealing with these patients. This paper presents a narrative review of the current scientific evidence regarding neoadjuvant treatment in locally advanced thyroid cancer.
Background: Type 1 gastric neuroendocrine tumors (GC-1) represent an uncommon subtype of neoplasms. Endoscopic resection has been proposed as the treatment of choice; active surveillance may be performed in those smaller than 1 cm, while gastric surgery may be performed for those with frequent recurrences. The antiproliferative effect of somatostatin analogues (SSA) is well known, and their action on GC-1s has been postulated as a chronic treatment to reduce recurrence. Methods: A two-centered, retrospective, observational study that included nine patients (55.6% women) diagnosed with GC-1, receiving long-term treatment with SSA, with a median follow-up from baseline of 22 months, was undertaken. Endoscopic follow-up, extension study, and analytical values of chromogranin A (Cg A) and gastrin were collected. Results: In total, 88.9% of patients presented partial or complete response. Treatment with SSA was the only independent factor with a trend to prevent tumor recurrence (Odds Ratio 0.054; p = 0.005). A nonsignificant tendency toward a decrease in CgA and gastrin was observed; lack of significance was probably related to concomitant treatment with proton pump inhibitors in some patients. Conclusions: Chronic treatment with SSA is a feasible option for recurrent GC-1s that are difficult to manage using endoscopy or gastrectomy. Randomized clinical trials to provide more scientific evidence are still needed.
Background: Advanced hybrid closed-loop (AHCL) systems have improved the glycemic control in type 1 diabetes (T1D). While time in range (TIR) (70–180 mg/dL) is the standard metric, time in tight range (TITR) (70–140 mg/dL) offers a stricter assessment. Real-world comparisons using the TITR are limited. This study compared the TIR and TITR metrics between the MiniMed™ 780G and Tandem Control-IQ™ in adults with T1D. Methods: This retrospective, single-center study included 42 propensity-score-matched adults with T1D (28 MM780G users and 14 Tandem Control-IQ users), each with ≥3 months of AHCL system use. Glycemic metrics from continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) were analyzed over a 14-day period. Comparisons between groups were conducted using Mann–Whitney U tests, adjusted linear regression, and linear mixed-effects models accounting for repeated measures. Results: At three months, the MM780G users achieved significantly higher TITR (60.1% ± 12 vs. 49.5% ± 9.3; p = 0.005) and TIR (83.7% ± 7.6 vs. 72.1% ± 7.5; p < 0.001) values, along with lower glucose variability, compared to these values in the Tandem Control-IQ users. The linear regression model confirmed that the MM780G was independently associated with a higher TITR (β = 14.2; p = 0.005). Mixed-effects modeling for the TIR showed a significant interaction between timepoint and device type (β = 4.81; p = 0.006), favoring the MM780G. Conclusions: In this real-world analysis, both AHCL systems improved glycemic control, but the MiniMed 780G could be associated with a superior performance in achieving tighter glucose targets without increasing hypoglycemia. TITR may serve as a valuable complementary metric alongside TIR in evaluating AHCL systems’ effectiveness. However, these findings should be interpreted cautiously due to limitations such as the retrospective design, small sample size, potential residual confounding, and lack of standardization in the device settings. Further studies are warranted to confirm these results and assess their generalizability.
Objective: The use of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has expanded in patients with severe aortic stenosis who are deemed inoperable. However, sarcopenia may be a determining factor in their survival. The aim of our study is to assess the impact of sarcopenia, evaluated by computed tomography (CT), on mortality in this patient population. Methods: Patients with severe aortic stenosis undergoing follow-up after TAVI at Hospital Universitario de la Princesa were recruited. Body composition was analyzed using routine CT scans and open-source software. Survival analysis was performed, and correlations between body composition parameters at the T12 and L3 vertebral levels were assessed. Results: Our sample comprised 97 subjects. Time to mortality was associated with diabetes mellitus (p = 0.050), atrial fibrillation (p = 0.02), and respiratory disease (p = 0.03). Interestingly, sarcopenia (p = 0.039) and normal-density muscle area (p = 0.025) were also associated with time to mortality, with the association between sarcopenia and time to mortality becoming stronger after adjusting for covariates (p < 0.001). The correlation between different body composition parameters at the T12 and L3 vertebral levels was substantial and statistically significant. Conclusions: The use of CT to assess sarcopenia in patients with severe aortic stenosis undergoing TAVI is highly valuable and can predict time to mortality. Sarcopenia should be considered as a relevant parameter in the comprehensive evaluation of these patients.
13 March 2025 in Endocrinología, Diabetes y Nutrición (English Ed.)