Gastroenterology

Diarrhea affects roughly four in ten HCC patients treated with sorafenib.

Meta-analysis of 136 studies (14,416 patients) found diarrhea the most frequent GI adverse event with sorafenib, weighted prevalence 42.21%. Nausea, abdominal pain, and weight loss occurred in about one-fifth to one-quarter of patients. Authors emphasize standardized AE reporting and proactive GI management to maintain adherence. Applicability is adults with advanced HCC receiving sorafenib; heterogeneity across studies is notable. 1

FMT restored diversity and lowered pathogenic potential after antibiotics in septic patients.

In a pilot RCT (n=40; FMT n=10, probiotics n=10, control n=20), FMT mitigated antibiotic-associated diversity loss (Chao1 p=0.0125 at 2 weeks). FMT increased Bacteroides and reduced Enterobacteriaceae and overall pathogenic potential (BugBase p=0.021). Probiotics did not show these microbiome benefits in this trial. This is preliminary single-center data in critically ill septic patients and not definitive for clinical outcomes. 2

Non-White GI cancer patients report higher social risks and more barriers to care.

Analysis of All of Us participants (1,831 surveyed of 6,620) found Non-White patients reported more food insecurity (23.6% vs 5.8%) and housing issues (41.8% vs 21.8%). Non-White participants reported higher perceived discrimination and greater neighborhood disorder than non-Hispanic White patients. Delayed care (47.1% vs 26.8%) and unaffordability of care (9.9% vs 3.4%) were more common in Non-White patients. Findings support targeted SDoH screening and care navigation in diverse GI oncology populations. 3