Current status of trauma surgery at a Japanese prefectural academic institute: improved organization in a regional prefecture.

PURPOSES: Balancing scheduled surgery and trauma surgery is difficult with a limited number of surgeons. To address the issues and systematize education, we analyzed the current situation and the effectiveness of having a trauma team in the ER of a regional hospital. METHODS: This retrospective study analyzed the demographics, traumatic variables, procedures, postoperative morbidities, and outcomes of 110 patients who underwent trauma surgery between 2012 and 2019. The trauma team was established in 2016 and our university hospital Emergency Room (ER) opened in 2012. RESULTS: Blunt trauma accounted for 82% of the trauma injuries and 39% of trauma victims were transported from local centers to our institute. The most frequently injured organs were in the digestive tract and about half of the interventions were for hemostatic surgery alone. Concomitant treatments for multiple organ injuries were performed in 31% of the patients. The rates of postoperative severe complications (over Clavien-Dindo IIIb) and mortality were 10% and 13%, respectively. Fourteen (12.7%) of 24 patients who underwent damage-control surgery died, with multiple organ injury being the predominant cause of death. CONCLUSION: Systematic education or training of medical students and general surgeons, as well as the co-operation of the team at the regional academic institute, are necessary to overcome the limited human resources and save trauma patients.

[Preoperative Spontaneous Regression of Thymoma].

We report a case of preoperative spontaneous regression of thymoma in a 66-year-old woman who presented chest pain. Chest computed tomography revealed a well-defined tumor in the anterior mediastinum. The long axis of the tumor decreased from 25 to 18 mm during 1 month preoperatively. Video-assisted thoracoscopic thymothymectomy was performed for definitive diagnosis and treatment. Histopathologically, the tumor mainly comprised necrotic components with partially viable cells, and was diagnosed as a thymoma. The occlusion of the feeding artery by organized thrombus was found by pathology and it was considered to be the cause of coagulative necrosis.

Malignant mesothelioma with squamous differentiation.

AIMS: We report the autopsy findings of a 58-year-old man with malignant mesothelioma in the left pleural cavity. METHODS AND RESULTS: The patient had a history of asbestos exposure, and the chest computed tomography scan on initial admission demonstrated an extrapleural sign, suggesting a nodular lesion in the chest wall. However, no nodular lesions were detectable in either of his lungs. In spite of chemotherapy, he died 4 months after the initial admission. An autopsy revealed markedly thickened pleura in a large section of the left pleural cavity without visible intrapulmonary primary tumour lesions. Histological examination of a biopsy specimen obtained prior to chemotherapy and that of an autopsy specimen showed that the pleural tumour was composed of a mixture of mesothelioma and tumour cells with squamous differentiation mimicking squamous cell carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report of mesothelioma with extensive squamous differentiation in the English-language literature. The extensive squamous differentiation reminiscent of squamous cell carcinoma can be a pitfall in the pathological diagnosis of pleural cytology and that of biopsy specimens from patients with mesothelioma. Here, we report autopsy findings of a case of malignant mesothelioma with portions of extensive squamous differentiation, mimicking a squamous cell carcinoma.

Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography Can Provide Useful Information for Differentiating Thymic Epithelial Tumors.

BACKGROUND: We examined the usefulness of fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) in predicting the World Health Organization (WHO) histologic type and Masaoka stage of thymic epithelial tumors. METHODS: A total of 73 patients with thymic epithelial tumors who underwent preoperative FDG-PET were included. Relationships between the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) and WHO histologic type and the Masaoka stage of the tumor were examined. Differences in SUVmax between the various groups were calculated. To avoid the effect of the tumor size on SUVmax, the ratio of SUVmax to tumor size (SUVmax/T) was also examined. RESULTS: There was a significant relationship between SUVmax and WHO histologic type. SUVmax of high-risk thymomas (types B2 and B3) was significantly higher than that of low-risk thymomas (types A, AB, and B1). SUVmax of thymic carcinomas was also significantly higher than those of the low-risk and high-risk groups. The relationship between the SUVmax/T and WHO histologic type showed more significant results. SUVmax and SUVmax/T showed higher values in patients with advanced Masaoka stage disease than in those with early-stage disease. CONCLUSIONS: FDG-PET can provide useful information for differentiating thymic epithelial tumors. The SUVmax/T is more useful than the SUVmax for differentiating between low-risk and high-risk thymomas.

Chylothorax following transsternal total thymectomy: a case report.

Herein, we report a case of chylothorax following total thymectomy. A 46-year-old woman having an anterior mediastinal tumor underwent a thymectomy via median sternotomy. Seven days after surgery, there was no massive pleural effusion. However, on post-operative day 17, a right massive pleural effusion was detected, and it was diagnosed as chylothorax. She was successfully treated with conservative therapy. Chylothorax following thymectomy is a very rare complication.

[Parasternal approach for anterior apical lung cancer with invasion of the first rib].

For complete resection of anterior apical invasive lung cancer, it is of clinical significance to select the appropriate surgical approaches based on the anatomic location of the tumor and extent of invasion of adjacent anatomic structures. However, patients with anterior apical lung cancer without vessel invasion are occasionally burdened with unnecessarily excessive surgical invasion. We present 2 cases of anterior apical lung cancer invading the 1st rib but not subclavian vein, who underwent complete resection through the parasternal approach. We also discuss the feasibility of this approach.

A case of diaphragmatic hemangioma completely resected by partial diaphragmatic resection.

Diaphragmatic hemangiomas are rare tumors and the preferred resection range in surgical procedures is considered on a case-by-case basis. We report a case of diaphragmatic hemangioma that was completely resected by partial diaphragmatic resection. An 81-year-old man was referred for the examination of right diaphragmatic mass. Computed tomography revealed two contrast-enhanced nodules (diameter: 17 and 10 mm, respectively) on the right diaphragm. The nodules were completely resected by partial resection of the diaphragm via video-assisted thoracic surgery using an ultrasonic coagulation and incision device. Resection was performed leaving part of the muscular layer of the diaphragm. Histopathology confirmed the nodule to be hemangioma originating from the diaphragm and no hemangiomatous lesions were noted in the normal connective tissue in the resected stump. Partial diaphragmatic resection is a less invasive treatment method and may be a useful surgical procedure for diaphragmatic hemangioma.

Aberrant Expression of Cardiac Troponin-T in Lung Cancer Tissues in Association With Pathological Severity.

Background: Cardiac troponin-T (TNNT2) is exclusively present in cardiac muscle. Measurement of TNNT2 is used for diagnosing acute coronary syndrome. However, its expression may not be limited in myocardium. This study aimed at evaluating the expression of TNNT2 in neoplastic tissues. Methods and Results: We used paraffin-embedded blocks of 68 patients with lung cancer (age, 68 ± 11 years old; early-stage, 33; advance-stage, 35) at Miyazaki University Hospital, Japan between January 1, 2017, and March 31, 2019. We stained the slide sections with primary monoclonal antibody against TNNT2 protein, and assessed the frequency of positive staining, and its association with pathological severity. In addition, we examined whether TNNT2 gene is detected in lung cancer tissues of four patients using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Immunoreactivity for TNNT2 protein was present in the cytoplasm and nucleus of lung cancer cells. The frequency was 37% (25 of 68) in all patients and was irrespective of histologic type (six of 13, squamous cell carcinoma; 18 of 50, adenocarcinoma; 0 of 4, neuroendocrine cell carcinoma; 1 of 1, large cell carcinoma). The prevalence increased with pathological staging [9% (3 of 33) at early-stage (Stage 0-I); 63% (22 of 35) at advance-stage (Stage II-IV and recurrence)]. In addition, frequency of positive staining for TNNT2 increased with pleural (χ2 = 5.877, P = 0.015) and vascular (χ2 = 2.449, P = 0.118) invasions but decreased with lymphatic invasion (χ2 = 3.288, P = 0.070) in specimens performed surgical resection. Furthermore, TNNT2 mRNA was detected in the resected squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma tissues. Conclusions: Our data suggest the aberrant expression of TNNT2 in lung cancer and its prevalence increases with pathological severity.

Pulmonary torsion after resuscitative thoracotomy: a case report.

We report a rare case of pulmonary torsion after nonpulmonary thoracotomy. A 38-year-old woman with schizophrenia committed suicide by a self-infliction of sharp force into the chest and abdomen. During emergent abdominal damage control surgery, a left-sided resuscitative thoracostomy was also performed due to hemorrhagic shock. Although abnormal shadow was detected on postoperative chest roentgenogram and computed tomography, the diagnosis of pulmonary torsion was delayed. Seven days after initial surgery, pulmonary torsion was diagnosed and managed by left upper lobectomy. To our knowledge, this is the first report of pulmonary torsion after resuscitative thoracotomy.

Primary mucinous adenocarcinoma of the thymus: A case report.

Primary thymic mucinous adenocarcinoma is extremely rare; to our knowledge, only 16 cases have been reported to date. A 68-year-old man presented to a previous hospital due to massive pericardial effusion. Cytological examination of the pericardial effusion revealed the presence of adenocarcinoma, and computed tomography showed an anterior mediastinal mass lesion invading the pericardium. Because systemic examination failed to detect other lesions, except for liver metastasis, mediastinal lymph node swelling, and pleural dissemination, a thoracoscopic biopsy of the mediastinal and pleural tumor was performed. The pathological diagnosis was thymic mucinous adenocarcinoma. Although he received chemotherapy, he died due to cancer 6 months after the biopsy.

Recurrent solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura with malignant transformation: a case report.

We report a rare case of recurrent solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) of the pleura with suspicious malignant transformation. A 78-year-old man had undergone prior surgical resection of the primary and recurrent SFT tumors at 11 and 2 years before the current presentation. Although his primary tumor had a round shape and did not show invasive growth, the current recurrent tumor extended through the neural foramen and had an osteoclastic progression into the thoracic spine. A computed tomography (CT) guided needle biopsy was performed and the pathological diagnosis of the tumor was confirmed as the recurrence of SFT. Immunohistochemically, the MIB-1 proliferation index (Ki-67) of the primary tumor and the current tumor was 1.74 and 30.00%, respectively. These clinical and immunohistochemical findings were strongly suspected the malignant transformation of SFT from benign. He was treated with radiotherapy, and a response was observed.

A case of bilateral invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma of the lung with severe productive cough and dyspnea successfully treated with palliative lung lobectomy.

Invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma (IMA) of the lung is a chemo-refractory type of lung cancer with frequent intrapulmonary dissemination. Patients with IMA of the lung often suffer from a productive cough and rapid deterioration of performance status (PS). There is currently no standard therapeutic strategy against this unrelenting condition. Here we report a patient with bilateral IMA of the lung with severe productive cough and dyspnea successfully controlled by palliative lung lobectomy. A 67-year-old Japanese man presented with a 3-month history of productive cough. Chest computed tomography (CT) revealed a mass lesion in the left lower lobe and a small nodule and multiple thin-walled cystic lesions in the right lung. He was diagnosed with stage IIB IMA of the lung. Over the next two weeks, his productive cough and dyspnea drastically worsened and his PS declined from 0 to 4. Chest CT showed increases in size of both the nodule and cystic lesions in the right lung and the mass lesion in the left lower lobe. He was re-diagnosed as stage IVA. Given the extreme heterogeneity of the tumor distribution, we decided to perform palliative resection of the left lower lobe. After the surgery, he experienced complete relief of respiratory symptoms, and his PS improved dramatically, enabling chemotherapy. Thirty-one months after surgery, he maintains good PS. In conclusion, our report suggests that aggressive introduction of palliative lung lobectomy played a substantial role for in the excellent outcome of our patient with relatively well confined, advanced-stage IMA.

Prognostic Impact of a Novel Tumor Marker and Inflammation Index for Patients With Non-small-cell Lung Cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Different tumor markers and systemic inflammation have been linked with cancer development and poor outcome. We aimed to establish a novel non-invasive prognostic index for patients with resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) based on serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and C-reactive protein (CRP). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Four hundred and sixty-two patients curatively resected for NSCLC between 2008 and 2014 were included. All patients with a follow-up period of less than 5 years were omitted. The geometric mean of the normalized serum CEA and CRP levels was used as a novel tumor marker and inflammation index (TMII). The cut-off value of TMII was determined by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify the relative risk factors for survival. RESULTS: ROC curve analysis revealed a TMII cut-off value of 0.46. The group with high TMII displayed more adverse clinical characteristics. Furthermore, compared to patients with low TMII, the group with high TMII had significantly poorer survival. On multivariate analysis, TMII was independently associated with survival. CONCLUSION: We established a novel prognostic index (TMII) based on serum CEA and CRP. Preoperative TMII may predict poor outcomes in patients with NSCLC.

A rare association between true thymic hyperplasia and thyroid follicular tumor: a case report.

BACKGROUND: True thymic hyperplasia is a rare condition characterized by enlargement of the thymus while its normal structure is retained. True thymic hyperplasia is known to accompany Graves' disease, but no association between true thymic hyperplasia and thyroid follicular tumor has been reported so far. We report a case of true thymic hyperplasia in a patient with a thyroid follicular tumor. CASE PRESENTATION: A 52-year-old Japanese man was referred to our hospital for evaluation of a thyroid mass and a mediastinal mass. His serum thyroglobulin level was high, and hemithyroidectomy was performed to remove the thyroid mass. The resected mass was diagnosed as a follicular tumor of uncertain malignant potential. After resection of the thyroid lesion, the patient's serum thyroglobulin levels were markedly decreased. Seven months later, the patient underwent resection of the mediastinal mass. On pathological examination, the mass was found to consist of lobules, which formed a corticomedullary structure with Hassall's bodies, indicating a normal thymic mass with hyperplastic thymic tissue, less organized cellular cords, and intermingled adipose tissue. Immunostaining for cytokeratin 19 and cytokeratin 7 indicated that the lesion was consistent with thymic tissue. The lesion was diagnosed as true thymic hyperplasia, and the histological findings suggested that secondary atrophy had occurred. No evidence of recurrence was observed at 24 months after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: We present a case of a combination of true thymic hyperplasia and thyroidal follicular tumors that, to our knowledge, has not been reported previously. High serum thyroglobulin levels might play a role in hyperplasia of the thymus. Although true thymic hyperplasia is a rare disorder, it should be included in the differential diagnosis of a mediastinal mass in patients with thyroid disease.

Clinicopathologic characteristics of non-small cell lung cancer in patients with smoking-related chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to clarify the clinicopathologic characteristics of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with smoking-related chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and to evaluate the biological behavior of this disease. We investigated the association between smoking-related COPD, the recurrence-free proportion (RFP) and the clinicopathological features of clinical stage I NSCLC patients. METHODS: Between 2005 and 2014, 218 consecutive patients with clinical stage I NSCLC underwent complete resection with lobectomy or greater and systematic lymph node dissection. Differences in categorical outcomes were evaluated by the χ2 test. RFPs were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and differences were evaluated using the log-rank test. RESULTS: The 5-year RFP of clinical stage I NSCLC patients with smoking-related COPD was 55%, which was significantly lower than in those without smoking-related COPD (85%; p < 0.001). Postoperative pathological factors, including moderate or poor histological differentiation, intratumoral vascular invasion and lymph node metastasis, were detected more often in patients with smoking-related COPD. In adenocarcinoma patients, the 5-year RFP of patients with smoking-related COPD was 47%, which was significantly lower than in those without smoking-related COPD (87%; p < 0.001). The presence of a solid component was more frequently found in patients with smoking-related COPD (p = 0.007). CONCLUSION: Clinical stage I NSCLC patients with smoking-related COPD have histologically more invasive tumors than those without smoking-related COPD.

The Prognostic Values of a Novel Preoperative Inflammation-Based Score in Japanese Patients With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Several previous researchers have investigated the prognostic value of the combinations of systemic inflammatory markers. However, the prognostic power of these systemic inflammatory markers is not identical. We aimed to establish a novel prognostic score based on systemic inflammatory markers. METHODS: Four hundred non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who underwent surgery and were followed more than 5 years were included. Univariate and multivariate analyses were calculated by the Cox proportional hazards regression model. RESULTS: Among systemic inflammatory markers which were used for the previously reported indexes, preoperative serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and body mass index (BMI) were independent prognostic markers in multivariate analysis, while serum albumin level, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and platelet to lymphocyte ratio were not. Based on this result, a novel score was established. Patients with both normal CRP (< 0.13 ng/dL) and high BMI (> 20.6 kg/m2) were allocated a score of 0. Patients in whom only one of these abnormalities was present were allocated a score of 1, whilst those with both high CRP and low BMI were given a score of 2. Patients with score 0 had 84.44% of 5-year cancer-specific survival, while patients with score 1 - 2 had a 61.88%. On multivariate analysis, this novel score was an independent prognostic factor. CONCLUSION: This novel score based on CRP and BMI might serve as an efficient prognostic indicator in resected NSCLC.

Resected thymic large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma: A case report and review of the literature.

INTRODUCTION: Large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) of the thymus is an extremely rare neoplasm. PRESENTATION OF CASE: We report a rare case of LCNEC of the thymus in a 55-year-old woman. Her chest roentgenogram during a routine checkup revealed an abnormal shadow in the mediastinal left upper lung field. Chest computed tomography showed an anterior mediastinal mass measuring 4.8 × 4.0 cm. Positron emission tomography with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) showed high FDG accumulation at the lesion. To obtain a definitive diagnosis and achieve complete resection, a surgery was performed. The postoperative diagnosis was thymic LCNEC; it was classified as a Masaoka stage III tumor due to the invasion of tumor cells into the left lung. Postoperatively, the patient received adjuvant chemotherapy and survived without any signs of recurrence for 30 months after surgery. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: The detailed clinical features of thymic LCNEC remain unknown because of its rarity. In total, 20 cases of resection for LCNEC, including the present case, have been reported in the English language literature; we have presented a review of these cases and discussed the optimal therapy for this rare and virulent tumor of the thymus.

Impact of preoperative hemoglobin level on survival of non-small cell lung cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: Only a few studies have reported any prognostic impact of the preoperative hemoglobin level itself in resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The survival impact of preoperative hemoglobin level and the relationship between hemoglobin and serum CEA level were investigated. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Two hundred and forty consecutive NSCLC patients were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: The 5-year survival of patients with low and those with a normal hemoglobin level was 42.99% and 73.47%, respectively. Both univariate and multivariate analyses indicated the independent prognostic impact of the hemoglobin level. The result for stage I patients was identical. Patients with normal hemoglobin could be subdivided into 2 groups based on their serum CEA level; the 5-year survival of patients with normal and those with elevated CEA was 81.72% and 57.24%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The preoperative hemoglobin level was a prognostic factor for NSCLC patients. The combined use of hemoglobin and CEA levels might be useful to predict the prognosis of patients.

Induction of apoptosis by intrapleural perfusion hyperthermo-chemotherapy for malignant pleural mesothelioma.

PURPOSE: Despite extensive clinical research, no effective therapy for advanced malignant pleural mesothelioma has been established. In this study, we induced apoptosis in patients with this disease, using intrapleural perfusion hyperthermo-chemotherapy, a new procedure developed in our surgical department. We then measured the tumorcidal effect. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Our study included 6 consecutive patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (stage III: 5; stage IV: 1). Because of the advanced stage of the disease, none of the patients underwent tumor resection or pleurectomy. All patients, however, received perfusion treatment. Tumor cells collected from pleural effusions pre-and at 0, 24, and 48 h postperfusion were examined using an immunocytochemical stain to determine apoptosis. The percentage of positively stained cells was expressed as the apoptotic index. RESULTS: Preperfusion, the apoptotic index was 3.8%+/-2.0%, indicating spontaneous apoptosis of untreated tumor cells. Postperfusion, the apoptotic index at 0, 24, and 48 h was 22.8%+/-5.15%, 63.8%+/-8.2%, and 47.8%+/-6.9%, respectively. The patients had a median survival time of 30 months. No patient morbidity was associated with the perfusion treatment. CONCLUSION: In patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma, intrapleural perfusion hyperthermo-chemotherapy induced potent apoptosis of tumor cells, increasing immediately postperfusion and peaking at 24 h.

Squamous cell carcinoma of the hilar lymph node with unknown primary tumor: a case report.

We herein report a rare case of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) located in the hilar nodes with unknown primary tumor. A 56-year-old man underwent a thoracotomy under the clinical diagnosis of lung cancer with hilar nodes involvement. The tumor was found at the hilus and resected without pulmonary resection. The pathological diagnosis of this tumor was metastatic SCC in hilar lymph nodes. Examinations of the whole body failed to detect a primary site of the SCC. The patient is doing well with no clinical sign of recurrence 32 months after surgery.