[Update on gastroenterology]

In the field of mass detection of colorectal cancer by Hemoccul test, the results of the Burgundy study confirm the two european studies previously published and encourage to extend this training to the whole country. In oncogenetic field, a recent publication suggest some different clinical criteria that Amsterdam criteria to define a Lynch syndrome. When genetic markers are performed in a population selected according to these type I criteria, HNPCC mutation could be detected in 28% of cases. In colorectal cancer surgery, the debate remains open on the place of coeliosurgery. A recent published series of 135 colon cancers operated by coeliosurgery do not show any recurrence on trocar orifices. A US study has confirmed the prognostic value of the number of lymph nodes analyzed after resection of colorectal cancer. In adjuvant treatment of stage II colon cancer, two contradictory publications have been reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. However, the results of the Impact B2 Group are more consistent and support the fact that chemotherapy cannot be recommended as a standard treatment in state II colon cancer. The actualities in the liver metastases focused on the new local destruction technics that are cryosurgery and radiofrequency. Concerning the chemotherapy of metastatic colorectal cancer, important results have been published in second line therapy showing the superiority of Campto compared to best supportive care or 5FU based chemotherapy both in term of overall survival and quality of life. In first line chemotherapy, the superiority of bi-therapies (LV5FU2 and oxaliplatin or LV5FU2 and irinotecan) has been confirmed compared to LV5FU2 alone. A recent publication showed that patients older than 70 years tolerate chemotherapy for colorectal cancer as well as younger patients with the same efficacy. In esophagus carcinoma, the most important study didn't show any efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy by 5FU-cisplatin in operable adenocarcinoma of squamous carcinoma of esophagus. The final results of dutch's study in node dissection for gastric cancer do not find any benefit in overall survival comparing D2 versus D1 dissection with a substantial increase in morbidity and mortality in the D2 arm, specially when splenopancreatectomy was performed. Finally, an important study has confirmed the value of per echoendoscopy biopsies for the diagnosis of positive lymph nodes and pancreatic tumors.