[A Case of Long-Term Survival without Recurrence after Completion of Immunotherapy Due to Response of Third- Line Nivolumab for Liver Metastasis Recurrence of Esophagogastric Junction Cancer].

The patient was a 66-year-old man with dysphagia. He underwent total gastrectomy and trans-hiatal abdominal esophagectomy with lymph node dissection, including the inferior mediastinum, for esophagogastric junction cancer. The postoperative pathological examination revealed poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma T4aN2, Stage ⅢA, HER2 negative, and postoperative adjuvant therapy S-1 oral administration was started. Four months after surgery, computed tomography (CT)showed recurrent liver and para-aortic lymph node metastases. First-line XELOX therapy and second-line weekly PTX therapy resulted in PD, and nivolumab administration was started as third-line. The evaluation was PR and CR at 3 and 6 months, respectively. At the same time, he developed acute cholangitis and underwent open lithotripsy drainage. Postoperatively, treatment was terminated according to the patient's wishes. To date, it has been 5 years since the first operation and 3 and a half years since remission with nivolumab, and no recurrence has been observed. There is little evidence regarding the timing of conversion or treatment discontinuation for successful cases of immunotherapy in the salvage line for gastric cancer.

[A Patient with AFP-Producing Gastric Cancer and Stenosis Who Regained Oral Intake Capabilities after T-DXd Treatment].

We present the case of a 55-year-old man with HER2-positive, AFP-producing gastric cancer and multiple liver metastases. The patient consequently underwent 7 courses of SOX plus trastuzumab therapy, 3 courses of weekly PTX plus ramucirumab therapy, and 3 courses of nivolumab therapy, all of which resulted in PD. Obstruction due to tumor growth became noticeable 9 months after the start of the first treatment. Subsequently, the patient experienced malnutrition and systemic edema due to impaired oral intake. However, subsequent trastuzumab deruxtecan(T-DXd)therapy induced remarkable tumor shrinkage. Furthermore, oral intake became possible, and edema started subsiding. Thus, we report the course of a patient with AFP-producing gastric cancer and stenosis who regained oral intake capabilities after T-DXd treatment.

Magnetic compression anastomosis is effective in treating stenosis after esophageal cancer surgery: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Esophagostomy is important in the treatment of esophageal cancer. However, esophagectomy has a higher risk of postoperative complications. Treatment for complications is often difficult, and in some cases, oral intake is no longer possible. Recently, magnetic compression anastomosis (MCA) was developed; it is a relatively safe method of anastomosis that does not require surgery in patients with stricture, obstruction, or dehiscence of the anastomosis after surgery. CASE PRESENTATION: The patient was a 76-year-old Japanese man. He underwent esophagectomy with a three-field dissection for esophageal cancer. A cervical esophagostomy and chest drainage were performed for necrosis of the gastric tube. Following infection control, colon interposition was performed. However, after the operation, the colon necrotized and formed an abscess. Drainage controlled the infection, but the colon was completely obstructed. The patient was referred to our hospital to restore oral ingestion. Contrast studies showed that the length of the occlusion was 10 mm. The reconstruction was examined; reanastomosis by surgery was judged to be a high risk, so the strategy of anastomosis by MCA was adopted. In the operation, the anterior chest was opened to expose the colon, and a magnet was inserted directly into the blind end of the colon. The magnet was guided to the blind end of the esophagus using an oral endoscope. Two weeks after MCA, a contrast study confirmed the passage of the contrast agent from the esophagus to the colon. The patient eventually took 18 bougies after the MCA. However, since then, he has not needed a bougie. As of 1 year and 8 months after the MCA, the patient is living at home with oral intake restored. CONCLUSIONS: MCA is an effective and safe treatment for complete stenosis after esophageal cancer surgery.

Primary closure of the common bile duct in open laparotomy for common bile duct stones.

It is common these days to treat common bile duct (CBD) stones using endoscopic techniques. However, severe complications sometimes lead to death despite the great benefit of these techniques. If the patient has many and/or large stones, it can take considerable time for duct clearance, and this is associated with high costs. Therefore, we do not hesitate to choose surgical procedures when necessary. In this study, our aim was to evaluate the usefulness of primary closure of the CBD in open laparotomy for CBD stones. Thirty-four patients with CBD stones were operated on by open laparotomy; primary closure was done in 17 patients (group PC), and T-tube insertion was done in 17 (group TT). We compared the patients' medical records, clinical features, laboratory data, complications, and postoperative hospital admission days. There were no significant intergroup differences in patients' medical records, clinical features, or laboratory data, except for the number of CBD stones. There were no differences in complications. All complications were minor and needed no extra care. The number of postoperative hospital admission days showed a significant difference: 18.3 days in group PC and 31.5 in group TT. There are so many methods to treat CBD stones now that the selection of the procedure can be important for the patient's benefit. We prefer primary closure, to get better quality of life postoperatively and to avoid further operations and any severe complications.

[Stanniocalcin-1 (STC-1) as a molecular marker for human cancer].

Stanniocalcin (STC) is a glycoprotein hormone that regulates calcium levels in fish. The related human protein stanniocalcin-1 (STC-1) is expressed in multiple organs including the ovary, prostate, kidney, and thyroid. Human STC-1 expression is enhanced by neural cell differentiation, bone formation, and cell proliferation. Recently, quantitative RT-PCR analysis showed high levels of STC-1 mRNA in the blood of patients with cancer as compared with those in the blood of volunteers without cancer. The STC-1 mRNA expression in blood is closely related to tumor size in breast cancer, micrometastases of hepatocellular carcinoma, and minimal residual disease in leukemia. This brief review describes the diagnostic significance of STC-1 as a molecular marker for human cancer.

Omental transposition for lymphedema after a breast cancer resection: report of a case.

Lymphedema of the arm and hand is one of the major complications after a breast cancer resection. Conservative treatment for the treatment of lymphedema, such as compression garments and centripetal massage, is very important for these cases. However, if the lymphedema is difficult to control with conservative treatment and the patient's quality of life (QOL) is compromised due to swelling of the arms, surgical treatment should be considered. We used omental transposition to improve the status of lymphedema in the present patient whose left arm and hand had been swollen for 5 years, which thus prevented her from being able to lift her arm. After the operation, she was able to lift her left arm herself and perform tasks with her left hand, thereby obtaining a better QOL than before the operation regarding her left arm movement.

Stanniocalcin-1 as a novel marker to detect minimal residual disease of human leukemia.

Stanniocalcin is a glycoprotein hormone that regulates the calcium level in fish. We found that mRNA of human stanniocalcin 1 (STC-1) is detectable in phytohemagglutinin-stimulated T cells and in most human leukemia cell lines, suggesting a role of STC-1 for cell proliferation. This finding prompts us to study the usefulness of STC-1 for monitoring acute leukemia. The levels of STC-1 transcripts increased in patients with acute leukemia at diagnosis and relapse, as judged by quantitative real-time RT-PCR. Levels of transcripts rapidly decreased to within the cut-off levels, when the blast numbers decreased with chemotherapy. Prolonged elevation of STC-1 levels after treatment was associated with a poor prognosis. All of 7 patients relapsed 1 to 4 months after they showed an elevated level of the transcripts in clinical remission. These results indicate that STC-1 is a novel marker for minimal residual disease of acute leukemia, and for an early diagnosis of relapse.