GI & Hepatology News - VOL. 12 NO. 1 JANUARY 2018 - Capsule / Bariatric / MMR deficiency testing

Sep 27, 2026

Frontline GI & Hepatology News issue reporting on multiple gastrointestinal and hepatology topics. Highlights include fecal microbiota transplantation delivered via oral capsules showing noninferiority to colonoscopy for Clostridium difficile infection with a lower cost, evidence of ethnic and regional disparities in bariatric surgery utilization, and analysis indicating low uptake of mismatch repair deficiency testing in colorectal cancer despite guideline recommendations. Additional conference and study context supports clinical and policy considerations for care delivery and guideline adherence.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

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NEWS

FMT by oral capsule noninferior to colonoscopy

Hispanic patients and bariatric surgery utilization

MMR deficiency testing remains low

VOL. 12 NO. 1 JANUARY 2018 ® Dr. Dina Kao and associates found that capsules were preferred by patients and less expensive to administer. FMT by oral capsule found noninferior to colonoscopy BY BIANCA NOGRADY Frontline Medical News Fecal microbiota trans plantation (FMT) using oral capsules as the delivery method has been shown to be noninferior to delivery using colonoscopy for the treatment of Clostridium difficile infection, but with a significantly lower price tag. In an unblended noninferiority trial, published in JAMA, 116 adults with at least three documented episodes of C. difficile infection were randomized to either 360 mL of fecal slurry delivered to the cecum via colo- noscopy or to 40 capsules of processed fecal microbiota swallowed under direct observation. At 12 weeks after the treatment, 96.2% of patients in both groups reported the absence of recurrent C. difficile infection. Two patients in each group had a recurrence of infection, and were successfully treated again with FMTs using the same modality (JAMA. 2017 Nov 28;318:1985- 93. doi: 10.1001/ jama.2017.17077) . Dina Kao, MD, of the department of medicine at the See Capsule · page 19 Presorted Standard U.S . Postage PAID Permit No . 384 Lebanon Jct . KY GI & Hepatology News CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED 151 Fairchild Ave., Suite 2, Plainview, NY 11803-1709 Courtesy D i na Kao , MD Hispanic patients trail blacks, whitesin bariatric surgery BY RANDY DOTINGA Frontline Medical News SAN DIEGO – A study of procedures at academic centers provides evidence that obese Hispanics in the United States undergo bariatric surgery at a much lower rate than whitesand blacks. It also reveals marked regional variations in overall weight-loss surgery. “Our findings do suggest that severely obese Hispanics are utilizing bariatric surgery much lower than other ethnic groups,”said study coauthor Ninh T. Nguyen, MD, FACS, chair of the department of surgery at the University of California Irvine Medical Center, in an interview.“Our research does not specifically address the reasons for this gap in the delivery of care. Further research will need to be done to understand the reasons and the ways to close this gap.” Dr. Nguyen presented the findings at the annual clinical congress of the American College of Surgeons. According to Dr. Nguyen, the researchers undertook the study to better understand how bariatric surgery is delivered across ethnicities and geographic regions in the United States. The researchers analyzed statistics from the Vizient health care performance database for the years 2013-2015. They focused on patients at about 120 academic centers who See Bariatric · page 20 I N S I D E NEWS HHS nominee questioned on drug prices Azar responds to Senate HELP committee. • 13 LIVER DISEASE Live liver transplants safe Single-center analysis of donation found low rate of severe complications. • 14 GI ONCOLOGY Hemostat powder effective for GI tumor bleeding Tc-325 more reliably stopped bleeds than standard treatments. • 17 OBESITY Analysis suggests bariatric surgery safe for seniors Surgery can improve quality of life. • 20 MMR deficiency testing remains low BY SHARON WORCESTER Frontline Medical News Overall utilization of mismatch repair (MMR) deficiency testing is poor among patients with colorectal cancer, and utilization also remains low among young adults despite national guidelines calling for universal testing, according to an analysis of cases from the National Cancer Database. The findings suggest that interventions that target groups at risk for nonadherence to guidelines maybe warranted, wrote Talha Shaikh, MD, and colleagues at Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia. The report was published in JAMA Oncology (2017 Nov 9. doi: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2017.3580) . Of 152,993 adults with colorectal cancer (CRC) who See Testing · page 17 June 2–5, 2018 Exhibit Dates: June 3–5

FAQs

What does the study show about fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) delivered by oral capsules versus colonoscopy?

In an unblended noninferiority trial, oral capsule delivery and colonoscopy delivery resulted in the absence of recurrent Clostridium difficile infection for 96.2% of patients in both groups at 12 weeks.

What disparities were reported regarding bariatric surgery in the United States?

Obese Hispanic patients underwent bariatric surgery at a much lower rate than whites and blacks, with marked regional variations in overall weight-loss surgery.

How does utilization of mismatch repair (MMR) deficiency testing in colorectal cancer compare to guidelines?

Overall utilization of MMR deficiency testing remained poor among colorectal cancer patients and stayed low among young adults despite national guidelines calling for universal testing.

Sep 27, 2026

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