[Re-Administration of Anti-EGFR Antibody Drugs for Unresectable Colorectal Cancer-Focusing on Tumor Markers].

The 2022 edition of the Guidelines for the Treatment of Colorectal Cancer described rechallenge therapy as a backward treatment for unresectable colorectal cancer, but currently, there is no evidence to support its benefit. We reviewed 6 cases of rechallenge therapy in which tumor marker trends could be followed in our department. Two cases had a rapid decline in tumor markers that was maintained for 7-8 months. In 3 cases, PR was also confirmed on imaging. In contrast, there was 1 case with no decrease in tumor markers at all. Our findings suggest that cases of wild-type RAS prior to rechallenge therapy and cases that are responsive to initial anti-EGFR antibody drugs may have been involved in the effect of rechallenge therapy.

Open colectomy vs. laparoscopic colectomy in Japan: a retrospective study using real-world data from the diagnosis procedure combination database.

PURPOSE: To compare the short-term outcomes of conventional open colectomy with those of laparoscopic colectomy for colon cancer. METHODS: We retrieved data between January 2014 and March 2016 from the Diagnosis Procedure Combination database. A total of 69,418 patients who underwent colectomy for colon cancer were analyzed from among 15,901,766 cases of colorectal cancer. We applied a multilevel logistic regression model using a 2-level structure of individuals nested from 1065 hospitals. RESULTS: A total of 22,440 open colectomy and 46,978 laparoscopic colectomy procedures were performed. The in-hospital mortality rate was significantly lower in the laparoscopic group than in the open group (0.28% vs. 0.06%, odds ratio [OR] 0.40, p < 0.001). Similarly, the 30-day postoperative mortality rate (0.14% vs. 0.03%, OR 0.47, p = 0.019) and surgical morbidity rate (43.0% vs. 25.3%, OR 0.47, p < 0.001) were significantly lower in the laparoscopic group than in the open group. The postoperative length of stay was significantly longer in the open group (mean difference - 5.6 days, p < 0.001) than in the open group. The admission cost was significantly greater in the open group than in the laparoscopic group (mean difference - 95,080 yen, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic colectomy is safe and effective in the short term.

A Review of 7 Cases of Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy for Pediatric Cholecystolithiasis.

Pediatric cholecystolithiasis is a relatively rare disease, but it is recently increasing in Japan. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is a standard procedure for cholecystolithiasis not only in adults but also in children, and we are aggressively introducing single-incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy (SILC) at our hospital. We reviewed the patient characteristics, operation procedures and outcomes of 7 children (15 years old and under) with cholecystolithiasis who underwent LC in our hospital between August 1995 and December 2015. The 7 patients included 5 males and 2 females, with a mean age of 8 years 6 months. Underlying diseases were found in 5 patients (cerebral palsy in 2 patients, pancreaticobiliary maljunction with common bile duct stones in 1, acute lymphocytic leukemia in 1, hereditary stomatocytosis in 1), and none were found in the other 2. LC (3 conventional LC and 2 SILC) was performed in 5 of the patients. Laparoscopic choledocholithotomy was performed in 1 patient and laparoscopic splenectomy (LS) was performed in 1 patient at the same time. The mean operative time in all the cases of LC was 108 (70-140) minutes (conventional LC 113 (70-140) min, SILC 100 (90-100) min). Intraoperative cholangiography was performed in 4 cases and omitted in 3 cases. The only postoperative complication was a wound infection in 1 patient. The umbilical skin incision length in the SILC was 2.0 cm. We conclude that LC can be safely performed for children with cholecsytolithiasis, and that SILC is feasible and advantageous in terms of its improved cosmesis.

Transperitoneal rectus sheath block and transversus abdominis plane block for laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair: A novel approach.

INTRODUCTION: A laparoscopic approach for inguinal hernia repair is now considered the gold standard. Laparoscopic surgery is associated with a significant reduction in postoperative pain. Epidural analgesia cannot be used in patients with perioperative anticoagulant therapy because of complications such as epidural hematoma. As such, regional anesthetic techniques, such as ultrasound-guided rectus sheath block and transversus abdominis plane block, have become increasingly popular. However, even these anesthetic techniques have potential complications, such as rectus sheath hematoma, if vessels are damaged. We report the use of a transperitoneal laparoscopic approach for rectus sheath block and transversus abdominis plane block as a novel anesthetic procedure. MATERIAL AND SURGICAL TECHNIQUE: An 81-year-old woman with direct inguinal hernia underwent laparoscopic transabdominal preperitoneal inguinal repair. Epidural anesthesia was not performed because anticoagulant therapy was administered. A Peti-needle™ was delivered through the port, and levobupivacaine was injected though the peritoneum. Surgery was performed successfully, and the anesthetic technique did not affect completion of the operative procedure. The patient was discharged without any complications. DISCUSSION: This technique was feasible, and the procedure was performed safely. Our novel analgesia technique has potential use as a standard postoperative regimen in various laparoscopic surgeries. Additional prospective studies to compare it with other techniques are required.