[Treatment Experience of Chemotherapy and Carbon-Ion Radiotherapy followed by Curative Conversion Surgery for Initially Locally Advanced Unresectable Pancreatic Cancer after Distal Gastrectomy].

BACKGROUND: Carbon-ion radiotherapy(CIRT)has an advantage over conventional radiotherapy by its dose distribution and biological effect for locally advanced unresectable pancreatic cancer(UR-PC). Conversion surgery(CS)might be attempted for UR-PC with favorable response by chemotherapy and radiotherapy. CASE PRESENTATION: A 67-year-old female who have a history of distal gastrectomy. CT scan revealed locally advanced UR-PC with invasion to celiac artery, 60 mm in size. Systemic chemotherapy with gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel was continued for 15 months, showing decrease of tumor markers and radiological shrinkage of the tumor. The patient was referred to our hospital for surgical consultation. Since there was no metastasis in staging laparoscopy, CIRT with gemcitabine was administered for 3 weeks. After completion of CIRT, distal pancreatectomy with celiac axis resection and total remnant gastrectomy for direct invasion of the tumor was performed as CS, resulting R0 resection. Her postoperative course was uneventful with 17 days of hospital stay. DISCUSSION: CS after CIRT was safely performed. Clinical trial of total neoadjuvant therapy with systemic chemotherapy, CIRT, followed by CS for locally advanced CIRT is ongoing in our hospital. CIRT could be an effective treatment in locally advanced UR-PC in the context of multi-modal treatment including CS.

[A Case of Dedifferentiated Liposarcoma with Reducing Surgery Followed by Chemotherapy and Additional Reducing Surgery].

Dedifferentiated liposarcoma shows poor prognosis because of poor resectability due to aggressive invasion of adjacent organs with multicentric growth and its low sensitivity to chemotherapy. We report herein a case of a giant dedifferentiated liposarcoma, successfully treated by pancreaticoduodenectomy(PD)for tumor reduction and chemotherapy for 1 year after surgery, followed by additional surgery for tumor reduction. The patient is a woman in 50s. CT showed an 18.5×9 cm main mass surrounding the superior mesenteric artery(SMA and SMV)with multiple tumors in the pelvis. Needle biopsy revealed dedifferentiated liposarcoma. Although complete resection or chemotherapy was not feasible, surgery was performed for local control and introduction of chemotherapy. The main tumor was resected by PD with SMV resection and right colectomy. Chemotherapy with doxorubicin followed by eribulin was administered after surgery. The residual lesions were controlled for 1 year. Partial resection of the tumors in the mesentery was performed. Eribulin were administered starting postoperatively. One year and 10 months after the initial surgery, there was no progress in residual disease. Although R2 resection for dedifferentiated liposarcoma shows extremely poor prognosis. Even when complete resection would be difficult, multidisciplinary treatment including debulking surgery might be effective for disease control.

A case of a smooth transition to subsequent percutaneous transjejunal biliary intervention for hepatolithiasis after biliary reconstruction by adding jejunostomy during an emergency operation for perforation due to balloon-assisted endoscopy.

Treatments for hepatolithiasis include peroral endoscopy, percutaneous cholangioscopy, and surgery. Balloon-assisted endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (BAERCP) has been widely performed in recent years for patients with hepatolithiasis after biliary reconstruction. However, accidental bowel perforation caused by BAERCP may need emergency surgery. Here, we describe a 77-year-old Japanese woman diagnosed with acute cholangitis due to hepatolithiasis after biliary reconstruction (a biliary diversion operation for pancreaticobiliary maljunction). She underwent BAERCP for treatment of hepatolithiasis, however, a small-bowel perforation occurred. She underwent an emergency operation to suture the perforation and add a catheter jejunostomy. She had no postoperative complications after surgery and was discharged 11 days after surgery. One month later, she was readmitted and underwent percutaneous transjejunal cholangioscopy-guided lithotripsy with complete removal of the calculi. Although endoscopists should be careful to avoid small-bowel perforation during BAERCP, if perforation occurs, addition of a catheter jejunostomy during emergency surgery can be easily transitioned to subsequent treatment of the hepatolithiasis.

Severe acute pancreatitis 5 years after pancreaticoduodenectomy: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Acute pancreatitis is a known complication of pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). However, no reports in the literature describe a late delayed severe acute pancreatitis. We report a case of acute pancreatitis 5 years after PD in a patient who needed intensive care for his complication. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 64-years-old man presented with upper abdominal pain and reported a history of PD 5 years prior to presentation. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography revealed an edematous pancreatic remnant with inflammation of the surrounding tissue, and he was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis. His condition worsened, and he was transferred to our hospital the following day. He was admitted to the intensive care unit to manage respiratory and circulatory insufficiency. Although his condition improved, an abdominal abscess was identified, and necrosectomy was performed on day 43 of hospitalizaiton. We carefully removed as much necrotic tissue as was possible without injury to the pancreaticojejunal anastomosis and the ascending colon. Inflammation gradually subsided, and he was discharged on day 111 of hospitalization. The last drain was removed in day 133 of admission to our hospital. Pancreatitis and abdominal abscess have not recurred until the time of writing this paper. DISCUSSION: Delayed severe acute pancreatitis is rare. Necrosectomy can treat an abdominal abscess; however it is important to avoid injury to other organs. CONCLUSION: Clinicians should be aware that severe acute pancreatitis can occur after PD.

A case of mucinous cystic neoplasm of the gallbladder.

The patient was a 70-year-old woman in whom examination revealed a high level of carbohydrate antigen 19-9. Abdominal ultrasonography and computed tomography (CT) revealed a multilocular cystic lesion compressing the gallbladder. CT indicated the presence of a multilocular cystic tumor (67 × 68 × 72 mm) in contact with the right hepatic lobe. Intraoperative findings indicated that the cyst diameter was 8.5 × 6.0 cm, and the cyst was continuous with the gallbladder. The gallbladder was resected along with the cyst. The cyst was multilocular and originated from the cystic duct and gallbladder wall. The cyst wall contained cuboidal to columnar mucin-producing epithelial cells and ovarian-like stroma (OS). The final diagnosis was mucinous cystic neoplasm (MCN) of the gallbladder with low-grade dysplasia. In the 2010 WHO classification of tumors of the digestive system, MCN have been newly defined as a type of hepatobiliary tract epithelial neoplasms. MCN of the gallbladder with OS is extremely rare. Only three cases have been published in the literature. The presence of OS is necessary for diagnosis of MCN.

S-1 induced discoid lupus erythematosus-like lesions and long-term complete response for para-aortic lymph node recurrence of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Metastatic recurrence after resection of pancreatic cancer is considered to be an incurable disease, and discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE)-like lesions are known as a side effect of fluorouracil agents. We report a very rare case of metastatic recurrence of pancreatic cancer in a Japanese man with DLE-like lesions in which long-term complete response was achieved through S-1 monotherapy. CASE PRESENTATION: A 65-year-old man who had undergone distal pancreatectomy with splenectomy for pancreatic body cancer and had received adjuvant gemcitabine developed postoperative para-aortic lymph node recurrence 17 months after surgery. S-1 monotherapy was started. About 2 weeks after starting this treatment, he developed an erythematous rash on the face and scalp. DLE was diagnosed by skin biopsy. The eruptions were aggravated by the administration of S-1 and improved during periods of respite from S-1. Yet as CA19-9 was reduced by almost half 1 month after starting S-1 chemotherapy, S-1 chemotherapy was continued at a reduced dose. CA19-9 decreased to within a normal range within 6 months after starting S-1 chemotherapy, and a reduction in lymph node metastasis was detected through imaging. The patient is still alive without recurrence or metastasis 113 months after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Even in patients with S-1-induced DLE-like lesions, continuation of S-1 is possible if the dose and duration of S-1 are appropriately regulated and medical therapy is administered for the skin lesions. Further investigation into the possible correlation between skin rash and clinical benefit in connection with S-1 is strongly warranted.

Validation of the 2012 Fukuoka Consensus Guideline for Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasm of the Pancreas From a Single Institution Experience.

OBJECTIVES: The 2012 Fukuoka consensus guideline has stratified the risks of malignant intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) of the pancreas into "high-risk stigmata" (HRS) and "worrisome feature" (WF). This study aimed to evaluate its clinical validity based on a single institution experience. METHODS: Eighty-nine patients who underwent surgical resection with pathological diagnosis of IPMN were retrospectively studied. RESULTS: High-risk stigmata was significantly correlated with the prevalence of malignant IPMN as compared with WF. The positive predictive values of HRS and WF were 66.7% and 35.7% for branch duct IPMN and 80% and 38.1% for main duct IPMN, respectively. Univariate analysis indicated that all the factors in HRS and WF had statistical significance. Whereas multivariate analysis revealed only enhanced solid component (odds ratio [OR], 50.01; P = 0.008), presence of mural nodule (OR, 73.83; P < 0.001) and lymphadenopathy (OR, 20.85; P = 0.03) were independent predictors. Scoring HRS and WF by different numbers of positive factors resulted in improved predictive value. The area under the curve of HRS score was significantly lower than that of WF or HRS + WF score (0.680 vs 0.900 or 0.902, respectively; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: As supplementary to the 2012 Fukuoka guideline, we suggest that calculating scores of WF and HRS may have superior diagnostic accuracy in predicting malignant IPMN.

Spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy with conservation of the splenic artery and vein: techniques and its significance.

BACKGROUND: Preservation of the spleen in distal pancreatectomy has recently attracted considerable attention. Since our first trial and success with spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy with conservation of the splenic artery and vein for tumors of the pancreas and chronic pancreatitis, this procedure (Kimura's procedure) has been performed very frequently. METHODS: The techniques for spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy (SpDP) with conservation of the splenic artery and vein are clarified. The splenic vein is identified behind the pancreas and within the thin connective tissue membrane (fusion fascia of Toldt). The connective tissue membrane is cut longitudinally above the splenic vein. It is important to remove the splenic vein from the pancreas by working from the body of the pancreas toward the spleen (median approach), because it is very difficult to remove it in the other direction. The pancreas is removed from the splenic artery by proceeding from the spleen toward the head of the pancreas. RESULTS: Preservation of the spleen offers various advantages. The maximum platelet levels in blood serum are significantly lower in postoperative patients with splenic preservation than in those with splenectomy. The platelet count was maximal on postoperative day 10 in the 16 patients with SpDP and the count was maximal on postoperative day 13 in the 16 patients with distal pancreatectomy with splenectomy (DPS), and there was a smaller increase in the patients with SpDP than in the patients with DPS. Postoperative bleeding from an ablated splenic artery and vein in SpDP has not been encountered. Either DPS or spleen preservation without preservation of the splenic artery and vein may reduce the blood supply to the residual proximal stomach after distal gastrectomy, which is different from the findings in the Kimura procedure. CONCLUSION: In SpDP, a very slight elevation of the platelet count in serum may help to prevent infarction of the lungs and brain compared to DPS. Another advantage of SpDP performed according to our procedure is that the blood supply to the proximal stomach is conserved in patients with SpDP who undergo distal gastrectomy with resection of the left gastric artery. Benign lesions, as well as low-grade malignancy of the body and tail of the pancreas, may be indications for this procedure. Surgeons should know the techniques and significance of SpDP with conservation of the splenic artery and vein, which is a very safe and reliable method.