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The long-term impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the disruption of gastrointestinal cancer diagnoses remains unclear. This study investigated the actual impact on esophagogastric cancer (EGC) and colorectal cancer (CRC) diagnoses up to the third year of the pandemic in Akita Prefecture, Japan, using population-based registry data. We collected data on the annual number of EGC and CRC diagnoses using a database from the collaborative Akita Prefecture hospital-based registration. The net number of cancers diagnosed in the first three years of the pandemic (2020-2022) were compared with those diagnosed in the three years before the pandemic (2017-2019). Changes in the proportion of cancer stage and initial treatment for diagnosed EGC and CRC after the pandemic were then compared. The total number of EGCs was 9.3% lower in the first three years of the pandemic than in the three years before, probably due to its long-term declining trend. The total number of CRCs in the first three years of the pandemic exceeded that in the three years before, suggesting successful recovery of the diagnostic procedure. The proportion of cancer stages and initial treatment for EGCs and CRCs remained largely unchanged after the onset of the pandemic. Based on the population-based registry data from the first three years of the pandemic, the disruption of gastrointestinal cancer diagnoses caused by the pandemic is settling down without any substantial disease progression, even in Akita Prefecture, the area with the highest incidence of cancer in all of Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We recently reported the decrease in the number of gastrointestinal (GI) cancer diagnoses in 2020 due to disturbance of the healthcare system by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, using a hospital-based cancer registration system in Akita prefecture, Japan. In this study, we extended the research by showing the latest data (2021) on the number of cancers and examinations. Information on the occurrence and stage of esophageal, gastric, and colorectal cancers was collected from the same database. The number of GI examinations (cancer screening procedures and endoscopic examinations) was also investigated. Following the immediate decrease in the numbers of both GI examinations and GI cancer diagnoses in 2020, a rebound increase in the numbers of GI cancer diagnoses--especially colorectal cancers--was observed in 2021, resulting from an increased number of GI examinations i.e., the total number of colorectal cancers in 2021 increased by 9.0% and 6.8% in comparison to 2020 and pre-pandemic era, respectively. However, the rebound increase in 2021 was largely due to an increase in early-stage cancers, and there was no apparent trend toward the increased predominance of more advanced cancers. It therefore seems that we managed to escape from the worst-case scenario of disturbance of the healthcare system due to pandemic (i.e., an increase in the number of more advanced cancers due to delayed diagnoses). We need to continue to watch the trends in Akita prefecture, which has the highest rate of mortality from the 3 major GI cancers in Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leucine-rich alpha-2 glycoprotein (LRG) is a novel biomarker for monitoring disease activity in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The aim of this study was to evaluate its utility in monitoring disease activity. In this retrospective study based on case records between August 2020 and July 2021 at our two centers, we examined the correlation between serum levels of LRG and C-reactive protein (CRP) with disease activity in IBD patients. Background factors related to serum LRG levels were also analyzed. Overall, 47 Crohn's disease (CD) and 123 ulcerative colitis (UC) patients were evaluated. In patients with CD, LRG and CRP levels correlated with Harvey-Bradshaw Index (HBI) and Simple Endoscopic Score for CD (SES-CD) (LRG and HBI, r = 0.397; LRG and SES-CD, r = 0.637; CRP and HBI, r = 0.253; CRP and SES-CD, r = 0.332). In patients with UC, LRG and CRP significantly correlated with the partial Mayo score (PMS) and Mayo endoscopic subscore (MES) (LRG and PMS, r = 0.3; CRP and PMS, r = 0.282; LRG and MES, r = 0.424; CRP and MES, r = 0.459). In CD patients with normal CRP, serum LRG level was significantly higher in those with mucosal inflammation than in those with mucosal healing (16.4 vs. 10.7 µ g/mL). Stenosis was associated with serum LRG levels in CD group using multiple regression analysis. Therefore, LRG is a useful biomarker for monitoring disease activity and mucosal inflammation, and indicates the status of intestinal stenosis in IBD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disruption of cancer screening programs and diagnoses of gastrointestinal cancers by the COVID-19 pandemic has been reported; however, little attention has been paid to the situation in depopulated areas with low infection rates. Akita Prefecture is one of the most depopulated areas of Japan and has the lowest COVID-19 infection rate per capita; at the same time, the prefecture has been top-ranked for mortality due to gastrointestinal cancer for years. In this population-based study in Akita Prefecture, we investigated the occurrence of gastrointestinal cancers and the number of cancer screening procedures over the five-year period of 2016-2020, employing a database from the collaborative Akita Prefecture hospital-based registration system of cancers. The occurrence of gastrointestinal cancers, especially esophago-gastric cancers, declined by 11.0% in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic affected the overall healthcare system, compared with the average of 2016-2019. Nonetheless, the occurrence of advanced-stage (stage IV) esophago-gastric cancers increased by 7.2% in 2020. The decrease in the gastrointestinal cancer diagnosis rate in 2020 coincided with a 30% decline in the total number of regular population-based screening programs. Under the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, cancer screening was uniformly suspended throughout Japan. Accordingly, the COVID-19 pandemic has substantially disrupted the cancer screening system, leading to delays in diagnoses of gastrointestinal cancer, even in depopulated areas (Akita Prefecture) of Japan with a low prevalence of infection. Suspension of cancer screening procedures during an infectious disease pandemic should be thoroughly considered for each region based on the cancer incidence and infection status in that area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the decreasing global trend in the Helicobacter pylori infection rate, compositional changes in the gastric cancer subsites have occurred worldwide. However, the compositional changes in Asian countries, including Japan, remain to be clarified. The aim of this study is to investigate the latest chronological changes in the gastric cancer subsite using a hospital-based registration system in Akita prefecture in Japan. From 2007-2015, subsites of gastric cancers were coded according to the International Classification of Diseases for Oncology (ICD-03). The nine-year registration period was divided into the three 3-year periods: 2007-2009, 2010-2012, and 2013-2015. A total of 10,804 cases of gastric cancer were registered. The proportion of cardiac cancer among total gastric cancer slightly but significantly declined from 12.1% in 2007-2009 to 9.2% in 2013-2015 (P < 0.01). Among non-cardia cancer, the proportion of corpus cancer significantly increased from 41.3% to 50.2% during the study period (P < 0.01), while that of antropylorus cancer significantly decreased from 37.6% to 34.3% (P < 0.05). Such compositional changes in the gastric cancer subsite were observed largely in men, regardless of the histologic subtype of cancer. With the decreasing H. pylori infection rate, compositional changes in the gastric cancer subsite are occurring in Japan. While the proportion of cardia and antropylorus cancer is declining, that of corpus cancer is increasing, indicating diverse etiology of gastric carcinogenesis depending on the subsites. Identifying the most common sites of occurrence, may help to improve the efficiency of screening for gastric cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]