Anastasios J Karayiannakis

Publications (100) View all

• Article: Assessment of SOX17 DNA methylation in cell free DNA from patients with operable gastric cancer. Association with prognostic variables and survival.

  Ioanna Balgkouranidou, Anastasios Karayiannakis, Dimitrios Matthaios, Heleni Bolanaki, Gregorios Tripsianis, Antonios Apostolos Tentes, Evi Lianidou, Ekaterini Chatzaki, Aliki Fiska, Maria Lambropoulou, George Kolios, Stylianos Kakolyris
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  ABSTRACT: Abstract Background: DNA methylation represents one of the most common epigenetic changes in human cancer providing important information regarding carcinogenesis. A possible role as a prognostic indicator has also been proposed. The aim of our study was to evaluate the prognostic significance of SOX17 promoter methylation status in patients with operable gastric cancer. Methods: Using methylation-specific PCR (MSP) we examined the incidence and prognostic significance of SOX17 methylation status in cell free circulating DNA in the serum of 73 patients with operable gastric cancer. Fifty-one patients were male (69.9%), their median age was 65 years, 43 patients (58.9%) had regional lymph node involvement and all had a Performance Status (WHO) of 0-1. Results: SOX17 promoter was found to be methylated in 43 out of 73 gastric cancer serum samples examined (58.9%). All 20 control serum samples from healthy individuals were negative. Overall survival (OS) was found to be significantly associated with SOX17 methylation (p=0.049). A significant correlation between methylation status and differentiation (p=0.031) was also observed. No other significant associations between different tumor parameters examined and SOX17 methylation status were observed. Conclusions: SOX17 promoter methylation in cell free DNA of patients with operable gastric cancer is a frequent event and may provide important information regarding prognosis in this group of patients.
  Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine 02/2013; · 2.15 Impact Factor
• Article: Common bile duct obstruction secondary to a periampullary diverticulum.

  Anastasios J Karayiannakis, Helen Bolanaki, Nikos Courcoutsakis, Georgios Kouklakis, Erchan Moustafa, Panos Prassopoulos, Constantinos Simopoulos
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  ABSTRACT: Periampullary duodenal diverticula are not uncommon and are usually asymptomatic although complications may occasionally occur. Here, we report the case of a 72-year-old woman who presented with painless obstructive jaundice. Laboratory tests showed abnormally elevated serum concentrations of total and direct bilirubin, of alkaline phosphatase, of γ-glutamyl transpeptidase, and of aspartate and alanine aminotransferases. Serum concentrations of the tumor markers carbohydrate antigen 19-9 and carcinoembryonic antigen were normal. Abdominal ultrasonography showed dilatation of the common bile duct (CBD), but no gallstones were found either in the gallbladder or in the CBD. The gallbladder wall was normal. Computed tomography failed to detect the cause of CBD obstruction. Magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography revealed a periampullary diverticulum measuring 2 cm in diameter and compressing the CBD. The pancreatic duct was normal. Hypotonic duodenography demonstrated a periampullary diverticulum with a filling defect corresponding to the papilla. CBD compression by the diverticulum was considered as the cause of jaundice. The patient was successfully treated by surgical excision of the diverticulum. In conclusion, the presence of a periampullary diverticulum should be considered in elderly patients presenting with obstructive jaundice in the absence of CBD gallstones or of a tumor mass. Non-interventional imaging studies should be preferred for diagnosis of this condition, and surgical or endoscopic interventions should be used judiciously for the effective and safe treatment of these patients.
  Case Reports in Gastroenterology 05/2012; 6(2):523-9.
• Article: Education and imaging. Gastrointestinal: gallbladder carcinoma and cholelithiasis: a radiologic--pathologic correlation.

  N Courcoutsakis, E Astrinakis, H Bolanaki, E Mihailidou, A Karayiannakis, P Prassopoulos
  Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology 09/2011; 26(9):1462. · 2.87 Impact Factor
• Article: Docetaxel plus oxaliplatin in combination with capecitabine as first-line treatment for advanced gastric cancer.

  K Amarantidis, N Xenidis, L Chelis, E Chamalidou, P Dimopoulos, P Michailidis, A Tentes, S Deftereos, M Karanikas, A Karayiannakis, S Kakolyris
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  ABSTRACT: In the present phase II study, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of a docetaxel-oxaliplatin-capecitabine combination as a first-line treatment in patients with advanced gastric cancer. A total of 27 patients (18 males) with histologically confirmed inoperable gastric adenocarcinoma were recruited. Docetaxel was given (50 mg/m(2) i.v.) on day 1 followed by oxaliplatin (75 mg/m(2) i.v.) also on day 1. Capecitabine (2,750 mg/m(2)) was given orally as two daily divided doses from days 1 to 7. Cycles were repeated every 2 weeks. All patients had measurable disease and 18 of them had a performance status (WHO) of 0. A total of 240 treatment cycles were administered. All patients were evaluable for toxicity. Four patients who discontinued treatment early (having received only 3 chemotherapy cycles) were included as non-responders in an intention-to-treat response analysis. Complete response, partial response, stable disease and progressive disease were observed in 4 (15%), 12 (44%), 3 (11%) and 8 (30%) patients, respectively. The observed response rate was 59%, and the disease control rate (complete response + partial response + stable disease) was 70%. At the time of analysis, 6 patients were still alive and the median survival was 18.0 months. The most common grade III/IV toxicities observed were neutropenia (5%), diarrhea (2%), palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia (2%) and neurotoxicity (1%). All other toxicities were mostly of grade I/II and easily manageable. The combination of docetaxel, oxaliplatin and capecitabine in the described mode of administration represents a relatively active and well-tolerated regimen in patients with advanced gastric cancer and warrants further evaluation.
  Oncology 07/2011; 80(5-6):359-65. · 2.27 Impact Factor
• Article: Treatment response classification of liver metastatic disease evaluated on imaging. Are RECIST unidimensional measurements accurate?

  Michael Mantatzis, Stylianos Kakolyris, Kyriakos Amarantidis, Anastasios Karayiannakis, Panos Prassopoulos
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  ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of unidimensional measurements (response evaluation criteria in solid tumors, RECIST) compared with volumetric measurements in patients with liver metastases undergoing chemotherapy. Forty-four patients with newly diagnosed liver lesions underwent three MRI examinations at treatment initiation, during chemotherapy, and immediately post-treatment. Measurements based on RECIST guidelines and volume calculations were performed on the "target" lesions (TLs). The two methods were in agreement in 64/77 of patients and 253/301 of individual lesions classification in response categories ("good" agreement, Cohen kappa = 0.735 and 0.741, respectively). In 16.88% of the comparisons the two methods stratified patients to a different response category; 27.6% of TLs did not follow the response category of the patient in whom lesions were located. The actual volume of TLs differs from the calculated volume of a sphere with the same diameter. Our study supports the use of volumetric techniques that may overcome certain disadvantages of unidimensional measurements.
  European Radiology 03/2009; 19(7):1809-16. · 3.22 Impact Factor