Linitis plastica of the colon due to metastases of invasive lobular breast carcinoma.

Colon metastases from breast carcinoma are relatively rare and the invasive lobular subtype tends to metastasize more frequently due to its peritoneal dissemination. A 67-year-old female with a lobular subtype breast neoplasm was treated via a surgical resection ten years previously, with subsequent radiotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy. She is currently in clinical remission. A colonoscopy was performed due to a recent onset cachexia syndrome, which identified diffuse linitis plastica of the colon. Biopsies confirmed that it was secondary to infiltration by cancer cells of invasive lobular breast carcinoma (ILBC). In conclusion, linitis plastica of the colon may be a new presentation of colon metastases from ILBC.

Personalized therapy based on sequential molecular analysis leads to 30 months of survival in a patient with diffuse unresectable gastric linitis plastica.

INTRODUCTION: Diffuse gastric cancer is associated with poor prognosis. We report a patient with metastatic gastric linitis plastica harboring human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) activating mutation and HER2 amplification. CASE DESCRIPTION: The patient received 5-fluorouracil/folinic acid and oxaliplatin combined with trastuzumab/pertuzumab, resulting in disease control for 8 months. Second-line therapy with nivolumab and trastuzumab/pertuzumab was well-tolerated, with macroscopic peritoneal response. Following ovarian progression and surgical resection of ovarian metastases, immunohistochemistry of PD-L1 was negative; proteomics demonstrated normal expression of HER2 and absence of PD-L1, while genomics showed HER2 amplification, suggesting mechanisms of escape to dual HER2 blockade by downregulation of HER2 and to nivolumab by the absence of PD-L1. Based upon this and nonexpression of biomarkers of taxane resistance, therapy was changed to paclitaxel. Two and a half years after diagnosis, the patient is undergoing treatment, with excellent performance status. CONCLUSIONS: Molecular analysis and personalized therapy can help optimize treatment in difficult-to-treat cancers.

[Lymphedema of the lower limbs: Initial manifestation of gastric linitis plastica]. / Lymphœdème des membres inférieurs révélant une linite gastrique.

BACKGROUND: Primary lymphedemas are constitutional abnormalities of the lymphatic system. Secondary lymphedemas occur after damage to the lymphatic system, mainly after cancer treatments or tumour mass compression. There are many other causes, including filariasis, which is nonetheless very rare in France. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A 52-year-old man presented with a two-month history of increased size of the left leg. He was asymptomatic and in good general condition. Clinical examination revealed non-pitting lymphedema and ipsilateral hydrocele without loco-regional compressive lymph node. Initial extensive explorations were unremarkable. Lymphoscintigraphy revealed low tracer fixation in the left leg. The symptoms continued to worsen, with exacerbation and bilateralization of the lymphedema. Two months later, axillary lymph nodes appeared corresponding to metastasis from a signet-ring cell carcinoma. Despite two lines of chemotherapy, the patient died 8 months later due to multiple metastatic disease. DISCUSSION: Our case is remarkable because the lymphedema was not related to extrinsic compression and was the first symptom of gastric cancer. In the absence of compression, endo-lymphatic micro-metastases could constitute the causative process. Acquired lymphedema of the lower limbs must be recognized as a potential early symptom of gastric carcinoma and should therefore prompt further investigations.

Advanced gastric cancer linitis plastica presented with disseminated intravascular coagulation.

An old man was found unconscious; on admission found to have disseminated intravascular coagulation with concern of upper gastrointestinal bleed after he was found to have melena. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy on admission showed diffuse thickened gastric folds, and biopsy showed mucosal oedema. Bone marrow biopsy concerning for lymphoma was obtained showed adenocarcinoma. MRI of the abdomen was significant for diffuse gastric wall thickening. A repeat endoscopic ultrasound showed a diffuse gastric wall thickening of 15 mm and submucosal tunneling technique biopsy suggested high-grade, invasive, signet ring adenocarcinoma of the stomach. Oncology was consulted to initiate palliative chemotherapy. In retrospect, the patient was questioned regarding gastrointestinal symptoms; he reported gradual early satiety, dysphagia and unintentional weight loss over the course of 4 months.

Jackhammer oesophagus in a case of linitis plastica.

A 52-year-old Caucasian woman presented with progressive nausea and vomiting, weight loss, and burning epigastric and chest pain. Initial oesophagogastroduodenoscopy (OGD) with biopsies demonstrated gastritis in absence of Helicobacter pylori A gastric emptying study, CT scan with pancreatic protocol and a colonoscopy revealed no concerning findings. Calcium channel blockers and proton pump inhibitors offered little improvement. A high-resolution oesophageal impedance manometry was performed, which was significant for jackhammer oesophagus with maximum distal contractile index 11 052 mm Hg-s-cm. Another OGD was carried out for Botox injection to oesophagogastric junction. Repeat gastric biopsies reported gastric adenocarcinoma, further diagnosed as stage 4 linitis plastica with metastatic peritoneal carcinomatosis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the only case of linitis plastica associated with jackhammer oesophagus.

Phase II study of preoperative chemotherapy with S-1 and cisplatin followed by gastrectomy for clinically resectable type 4 and large type 3 gastric cancers (JCOG0210).

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: We conducted a phase II study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of preoperative chemotherapy with S-1 + cisplatin followed by gastrectomy in patients with linitis plastica (type 4) or large ulcero-invasive-type (type 3) gastric cancer. METHODS: Eligibility criteria included histologically proven adenocarcinoma of the stomach; clinically resectable gastric cancer of type 4 or type 3. Patients received two 28-day courses of preoperative chemotherapy of S-1 (80-120 mg/body, p.o., days 1-21) and cisplatin (CDDP; 60 mg/m(2), i.v., day 8). Primary endpoints were completion of protocol treatment and incidence of treatment-related death (TRD). RESULTS: Among the 49 eligible patients with the median age of 61 years, 36 completed the protocol treatment comprising two courses of preoperative chemotherapy and R0/1 resection (73.5% completion, 80% CI, 63.7-81.7%). One TRD was observed during the first course of chemotherapy. Median survival and 3-year overall survival were 17.3 months and 24.5%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative chemotherapy with S-1 + CDDP followed by gastrectomy is a safe and promising treatment for type 4 and large type 3 gastric cancers. Based on the results of this study, we are now conducting a phase III study (JCOG0501) to confirm the superiority of this treatment.

TS-1 as first-line therapy for gastric linitis plastica: historical control study.

Gastric linitis plastica (LP) is usually found as an advanced gastric cancer and has a poor prognosis. No sufficiently effective chemotherapy has been reported. In recent years, TS-1 has yielded a high response rate for advanced gastric cancers and favorable treatment results have also been suggested for gastric LP. We retrospectively compared and discussed anti-tumor effects and survival time for 62 consecutive patients with unresectable gastric LP who underwent chemotherapy at Kitasato University East Hospital between November 1995 and December 2002. They were divided into two groups: 19 patients given chemotherapy including TS-1 as first-line therapy (TS-1 group), and 43 patients given chemotherapy mainly with 5-fluorouracil, cisplatin, methotrexate and mitomycin C (non-TS-1 group). The overall response was 57.9% [95% confidence interval (CI) 35.7-80.1%] in the TS-1 group, which was significantly greater than the 27.9% (95% CI 14.5-41.3%) of the non-TS-1 group (P < 0.01). The median survival time was 402 days (95% CI 251-553 days) in the TS-1 group, which was also significantly longer than the non-TS-1 group (213 days, 95% CI 165-261 days, P < 0.01). Neutropenia and febrile neutropenia of grade 3 or higher were observed in 21.1 and 5.2%, respectively, in the TS-1 group, which were lower than the values of 37.2 and 20.9% in the non-TS-1 group. We conclude that greater anti-tumor effects and longer survival time can be expected from chemotherapy including TS-1 for gastric LP compared with conventional chemotherapy.

Gastric tuberculosis presenting as linitis plastica: a case report and review of the literature.

Gastric tuberculosis is rare and usually presents as an ulcerated lesion or gastric outlet obstruction. Rarer presentations include massive gastrointestinal bleed and gastric perforation. A case of gastric tuberculosis presenting as linitis plastica is reported here. This is the first such case report. The patient was a young woman who presented with non-specific abdominal pain and significant weight loss. The gastric mucosa appeared oedematous and hyperaemic and there was spontaneous oozing of blood on upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. Computed tomography of the abdomen revealed diffuse thickening of the gastric wall. The diagnosis was confirmed by the presence of caseating granulomas with acid fast bacilli in the endoscopic biopsy specimen. The patient showed significant clinical improvement on four-drug anti-tuberculous treatment.

Gastric linitis adenocarcinoma and carcinomatous meningitis: an infrequent but aggressive association--report of four cases.

Carcinomatous meningitis (CM) is a very rare complication of gastrointestinal malignancies and especially gastric adenocarcinoma. Linitis plastica (LP), which is a specific form of gastric neoplasia, locally penetrates through the gastric wall to reach the peritoneum. Lymph node involvement is frequent and metastatic sites are almost exclusively observed in the abdominal cavity. The meningeal localization is extremely rare with only a few cases described in the literature. We report here, over a five-year period, four cases of CM on a total of eighty linitis cases diagnosed and treated in our institution, which represent 5% of a non selected linitis population. The clinical manifestations were clearly poor, and characterized by aspecific neurological signs. The diagnosis was made by the discovery of signet cells in the cerebrospinal fluid. Invasive treatment, consisting of intrathecal infusion of chemotherapy, was undertaken with mixed clinical response and no cytological normalization of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). In conclusion, our observation which is based on a large series of successive gastric linitis, demonstrates a 5% frequency of developing CM with a predominance among metastatic patients. Furthermore, the diagnosis of CM must be done as soon as possible because of the clear effectiveness of a therapeutic approach on the improvement of symptoms and quality of life.

Primary linitis plastica of the rectum: report of four cases and review of the literature.

Primary linitis plastica of the rectum is a rare form of large bowel carcinoma, with only 30 cases having been reported in the English literature to date. Of significance is the fact that it carries a prognosis that is poor compared to other types of colorectal cancers. We report herein the cases of four patients with primary linitis plastica of the rectum who underwent surgery, followed by intensive postoperative chemotherapy using 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) derivatives in our institution. A review of the literature is presented with special reference to the diverse treatment and prognosis of this unusual disease. Although three of the patients died of recurrent cancer, one has survived for 5 years and 10 months despite advanced disease. This is only the third reported case of a patient with linitis plastica of the rectum achieving 5-year survival. We believe that this unexpected long survival could be related to the patient's extensive lymphadenectomy and intensive postoperative chemotherapy using cisplatin and 5-FU derivatives.

[Two cases of primary, diffusely infiltrating carcinoma (linitis plastica) of the colon].

Two rare cases of a primary, diffusely infiltrating carcinoma (linitis plastica) of the colon are reported. Case 1: In a 54-year-old male complaining of constipation and bloody stool, stenosis in the lower rectum was detected. He was diagnosed as having rectal cancer and rectal amputation with R3 lymphadenectomy was performed. The histological diagnosis was a signet ring cell carcinoma (a2, n2(+), Ho, Po stage IV). The patient died of multiple metastasis on the 318th postoperative day. Case 2: In a 29-year-old male complaining of a lower left abdominal pain, a circular stenosis of 7.5 cm in length in the descending colon, with Schnitzler's metastasis, was found. In spite of the advanced stage, a palliative colectomy was performed. A circular thickness of the wall was noted macroscopically, and the histological diagnosis was signet ring cell carcinoma, (s, n4(+), Ho, Po, stage V). The patient died of multiple metastasis on the 25th postoperative day.