In patients with intestinal cancer it is useful to determine the metabolic fingerprint of tumors

It’s possible to assess how advanced a bowel cancer is by looking at its metabolic fingerprint, according to new research.

Bowel cancer is the third most common type of cancer worldwide, with more than 1 million new cases diagnosed each year. Determining exactly what stage a tumor has reached is critical in determining which treatments to offer.

When determining the metabolic fingerprint, a sample of blood, urine or tissue is analyzed for the concentrations of very different metabolites, which are the products of chemical reactions in the body’s cells. This mixture of metabolites is altered as the cancer develops and grows. The researchers who collaborated on the new study, from Imperial College London, point out that doctors could use metabolic fingerprinting in conjunction with available imaging techniques to make the most accurate analysis of a tumor possible. This research is published in the Annals of Surgery. Doctors currently use a combination of CT, MRI, and ultrasound to assess how advanced a tumor is, but because these tests rely on visual estimates of a tumor’s size and location, they aren’t always as sensitive or specific. Previous studies have shown that these techniques regularly indicate that a tumor is more or less advanced than it really is.

Dr Reza Mirnezami, lead author of the study from Imperial College London’s Department of Surgery and Cancer, said: ‘Investigating the stage of a tumor is critical in planning a patient’s treatment. Increasingly, before surgically resecting a tumour, we give treatments to try to reduce its mass, but the kinds of treatments we offer depend on our assessment of how advanced the tumor is. The more precise we can be, the better the patient’s chances of survival.
“Our research indicates that using metabolic fingerprinting techniques in addition to imaging assessment may give us the clearest possible picture of how the cancer is progressing.”

For the new study, researchers analyzed the metabolic fingerprint of 44 intestinal tumor tissue samples, provided by patients cared for at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, using high-resolution magic-angle rotational magnetic resonance spectroscopy (HR-MAS). NMR). His results in determining the stage the cancer had reached were as accurate as existing radiological methods.

Lord Ara Darzi, Paul Hamlyn Chair of Surgery at Imperial College London, and the study’s lead author, said: “We know that even with the impressive scanning technology we have available so far, it is not always possible to correctly verify the local stage of a disease. cancer. Our study seems to indicate that if used in conjunction with medical imaging, metabolic fingerprinting could allow us to obtain more accurate information. This could give us more certainty about the correct treatment to administer to patients, and avoiding some of them an invasive treatment when they do not need it”.

The research also indicates that tumors take on unique metabolic properties as they progress further, opening new avenues for treatment. The researchers hope that it will ultimately be possible to identify different metabolic targets when the cancer is at different stages, in order to disable or slow down the tumor. Professor Jeremy Nicholson, Head of the Department of Surgery and Cancer at Imperial College London and corresponding author of the study, said: “This study represents one part of our program to develop advanced technology to improve patient tolerability in the surgical setting and shows the enormous potential of using metabolic models to stratify patients and optimize treatment.”

Organized by the Pan American Organization of Gastroenterology, OPGE

On behalf of the Organization of the Congress and the Scientific Committee, we would like to thank the 2,100 participants from the Americas and the World, the 220 experts from 40 countries, and the 37 Associations and Organizations of Gastroenterology and Digestive Endoscopy from around the world, who carried out 457 participations during the three days of the Congress, resulting in an event of great hierarchy and scope, being the First Virtual Pan-American Congress of Gastroenterology in history, which had the enormous challenge and great honor of organizing the OPGE Uruguay Board of Directors.

Likewise, we would like to express our very special thanks to the two Organizing Companies MCI Group and Grupo ELIS Meetings Management, as well as to the entire Industry, for their relevant work and invaluable support to make this magnificent event possible.

Personally, I would like to express my deep gratitude to the dear colleagues of the OPGE Board of Directors and to their respective families, who have accompanied me unconditionally in this enormous challenge, having made a great effort and tremendous work during all this time, with great dedication, commitment, support and encouragement, thank you very much dear, Javier San Martín, José Pedro Ibargoyen, Ana Laura Rodríguez, Virginia González, my nephew Juan Pablo Gutiérrez Aguiar, Edgardo Smecuol, Arnoldo Riquelme, my brother Horacio Gutiérrez Galiana, Thomas Kröner, Richard Kozarek, David Carr -Locke, the administrative secretary María Deambrosio; also my deepest gratitude to the dear colleagues of the Scientific Committee of the Congress, Cristina Dacoll, Beatriz Iade, Elena Trucco, Carla Bianchi, Carolina Olano, Susana Kohen, Adriana Raggio, Virginia López, Yéssica Pontet, Klaus Mönkemuller, Nicolás González, Federico De Simon; to the Past Commission – Presidents of OPGE, Julio Bai, Luis Carlos Sabbagh, José Roberto De Almeida; to the OPGE Liaison Commission, Estuardo Ligorria, Róbinson González, Javier San Martin, Edgardo Smecuol, Arnoldo Riquelme; to the Committee for the Evaluation of Scientific Papers of the Congress, Cristina Dacoll, Beatriz Iade, Thomas Kröner, Marcelo Silva; to the Court of Awards, Edgardo Smecuol, Marisabel Valdez, Marlene Pérez, Julio Bai, José Roberto De Almeida; and to the Tribunal of Masters of Pan-American Gastroenterology, Julio Bai, José Roberto De Almeida, Arnoldo Riquelme, Javier San Martín and José Pedro Ibargoyen.

I also wish to express fraternal gratitude to the 37 Presidents and Boards of Directors of the 37 Associations of Gastroenterology and Digestive Endoscopy of the Americas and the World, who have strongly supported us throughout this process; especially the World Gastroenterology Organization WGO, and its President Professor Dr. Naima Amrani, its Past-President Professor Dr. Cihan Yurdaydin and the President Elect Professor Dr. Guilherme Macedo. Also to the Regional Associations and their respective directors, Professor Dr. Reda Elwakil, President of the Association of Gastroenterology Africa Middle East AMAGE, Professor Dr. Axel Dignass, President of the European Union of Gastroenterology UEG and Professor Dr. Dai- Ming Fan, President of APAGE Asia Pacific Gastroenterology Association. I want to state that it has been a great honor for me to be part of the Governing Council of the World Gastroenterology Organization WGO, representing OPGE during all these years.

I would like to especially thank all the members of the Scientific Committee of the Pan American Congress for their tremendous work, resulting in a magnificent Scientific Program; and to make a special acknowledgment to Dr. José Pedro Ibargoyen for his fantastic management as President of said Committee, and to highlight his transcendental work as Secretary General of OPGE.

During the Pan American Congress, the XX Uruguayan Congress of Gastroenterology organized by the Uruguayan Society of Gastroenterology SGU, being its President Professor Dr. Virginia López, and the X Uruguayan Congress of Digestive Endoscopy organized by the Uruguayan Society of Digestive Endoscopy were held. SUED, being its President Dr. Federico De Simone. Both Congresses were of excellence, contributing to the magnificence of the Pan American Congress. On behalf of OPGE, we wish to express our deepest gratitude to the authorities of the SGU and SUED, for their invaluable collaboration and enormous work.

I also wish to express special recognition and gratitude to Professor Dr. Carolina Olano, Professor of the Gastroenterology Clinic of the Faculty of Medicine of Uruguay, UDELAR, President of the Scientific Committee of the WGO; Dr. Susana Kohen, Past-President of the SGU; Professor Dr. Nicolás González, Past-President of SUED; as well as Dr. Edgardo Smecuol, Honorary Executive Secretary of OPGE, Past-President of SAGE; for the great commitment, enormous dedication and permanent support, having contributed to a great extent, so that the Pan American Congress was a success.

During the Congress, many excellent activities were carried out, highlighting the World Gastroenterology Organization WGO Symposium, chaired by Professor Dr. Naima Amrani, President of the WGO; the WGO Distinguished Lecture, delivered by ̈Professor Dr. Richard Kozarek ̈, Former President of the WGO; as well as several Master Conferences, highlighting the one given by Professor Dr. Fabián Emura, President of the World Organization of Digestive Endoscopy WEO and Ex-President of SIED; another imparted by Professor Dr. David Carr-Locke, Ex – President IHPBA and ASGE; and the Master Conference “Professor Dr. Carlos Bonorino Udaondo” given by Professor Dr. Julio Bai, Ex-President of OPGE; and Professor Dr. Horacio Rubio, Ex-President of SIED, at the Symposium of the Americas where the 22 member Associations of OPGE participated; the Symposium of the United European Gastroenterology UEG; the Symposium of the Latin American Association for the Study of the Liver ALEH; the Symposium of the Spanish Society of Digestive Pathology SEPD; the Symposium of the Spanish Association of Gastroenterology AEG; the ACG American College of Gastroenterology Symposium; the American Gastroenterological Association AGA Symposium; the Symposium of the Pan American Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis Organization PANCCO; the Symposium of the Latin American Society of Neurogastroenterology; the Symposium of the Spanish Group for the Study of Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis GETECCU; the Rome Foundation Symposium; the Symposium of the Mc Master University of Canada; several relevant topics of Digestive Endoscopy such as the use of Artificial Intelligence and the Course on Competencies in Endoscopy; the Course for Digestive Endoscopy Assistants; the Course for Young Gastroenterologists and Digestive Endoscopists; also the Symposium on Colorectal Cancer and the Symposium on Obesity; in the same way as multiple outstanding conferences given by 220 expert professors from around the world, on the most varied topics of Gastroenterology and Digestive Endoscopy, especially those related to Covid-19. We would like to emphasize that there was also a motivational activity given by 2 of the survivors of the Andes tragedy, called It is possible! It depends on us!

We had the honor of awarding the 3 best scientific papers presented at the Congress with:

• The Professor Dr. Horacio Gutiérrez Blanco Award, to colleagues Dr. Marcos Leites, Dr. Teresa Freire and Professor Dr. Carolina Olano – Uruguay
• The Professor Dr. Elbio Zeballos Award, to colleagues Dr. Álizon Morales, Dr. Laura Linares, Dr. Fernanda Dávalos, Dr. Elena Cárdenas, Dr. Miguel Motola, Dr. Daniel Santana, Dr. Adriana Alarcón, Professor Dr. Gabriela Gutiérrez Reyes and Professor Dr. Max Schmulson – Mexico
• The Professor Dr. Luis Alberto Boerr Award, to colleagues Dr. Paula Fernández Álvarez, Dr. Belén Maldonado Pérez, Dr. Luisa Laria Castro, Dr. Vicente Merino-Bohórquez, Dr. Ángel Caunedo Álvarez and Professor Dr. Federico Argüelles Arias – Spain

A commemorative plaque was also presented to Professor Dr. Henry Cohen, former President of the WGO, for his contribution to OPGE and for his great work advising the Uruguayan government during the pandemic.

As a finishing touch, 3 new colleagues were appointed as “Masters of Pan American Gastroenterology”

• Professor Dr. Sheila Crowe from USA
• Professor Dr. Elena Fosman from Uruguay
• Professor Dr. Miguel Ángel Valdovinos from Mexico

At the closing ceremony, a heartfelt tribute was paid to the gastroenterologists and digestive endoscopists of the Americas, who unfortunately died of Covid-19.

We want to highlight that the virtual OPGE General Assembly took place on July 17, where Professor Dr. Arnoldo Riquelme, Former President of the Chilean Society of Gastroenterology SCHGE, became the new President of OPGE for the period 2021-2023.

Congratulations to Professor Dr. Arnoldo Riquelme and to CHILE!
We wish you the greatest success!

The Virtual modality in a Pan American Congress of Gastroenterology has been a new experience that has shown important advantages, allowing the participation of experts from all over the world, to contribute with their teachings and facilitating and globalizing the access of the participants. We have received multiple comments from the participants, who valued the educational aspect of the virtual modality, since the congress remained on the web platform long enough to review the information and access the conferences in the rooms that could not be seen live.

Before concluding, I want to express a special feeling of gratitude to my friends and to all my family, especially to my wife, Marité Ferriolo, for her enormous support and love throughout all these years, being for me a fundamental pillar, to move forward with calm, firmness and enthusiasm, and thus be able to face the great challenges that have arisen during these years at the head of OPGE.

I want to thank and thank this Great Team! that made possible this magnificent First Virtual Pan American Congress of Gastroenterology in history, and to express, as we mentioned in the opening act, that When you work as a Team and with Love for what you do, the result will always have its reward!

We hope you have enjoyed the XXXVII Pan American Congress of Gastroenterology and learned as much as we did. Thank you very much! A big hug from Punta del Este, Uruguay.

Eduardo Gutiérrez Galiana, President OPGE Uruguay 2018- July 2021, President of the XXXVII Pan American Congress of Gastroenterology, July 14 – 16, 2021

The Newsletter of the Pan American Organization of Gastroenterology (OPGE)

We welcome you to the long-awaited relaunch of @americas, our newsletter where we communicate national and international initiatives related to gastroenterology in our American continent. The COVID 19 pandemic distanced us in various aspects of family, work and corporate life, and in this context, OPGE’s activities were no exception.

The management of Uruguay was affected, delaying our congress, which was held virtually with great attendance and participation from the industry, with an exceptional academic-scientific level, for which I take this opportunity to congratulate Dr. Eduardo Gutiérrez and his directors, since despite the difficulties, they managed to carry out the activities of OPGE, with a transfer of command that allows us from Chile to continue with the development of our beloved OPGE.

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