Thrombus formation in the suprahepatic inferior vena cava after microwave ablation in patients with hepatic metastasis: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Microwave ablation (MWA) via ultrasound guidance is an important tool in the treatment of liver metastases. The most common postoperative complications are abdominal hemorrhage and bile leakage, whereas thrombosis in the suprahepatic inferior vena cava (IVC) is very rare, and clinical management is very difficult when the head end of the thrombus reaches the right atrium. CASE PRESENTATION: This is a case report of a 52-year-old man with hepatic metastasis 21 months after radical resection of rectal cancer. After chemotherapy combined with targeted therapy, metastasis in segment IV (S4) of the liver was treated with microwave ablation. Two months after treatment, the hepatic metastasis in S4 showed a microwave ablation zone on MRI.Enhanced MRI showed venous thrombosis located in the left hepatic vein and IVC, and the head of the thrombus reached the right atrium. After two weeks of anticoagulation and thrombolytic treatment, the follow-up MRI showed that the venous thrombus had nearly disappeared. CONCLUSION: When liver metastases are close to the hepatic vein, clinicians should pay attention to the occurrence of hepatic vein and IVC thrombosis following MWA; through early diagnosis and anticoagulation, pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) can be minimized.

Tumor thrombus formation in the right common iliac vein after radical proctectomy in a patient with rectal cancer: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Intravascular tumor thrombi are mainly found in patients with liver cancer or renal carcinoma but rarely occur in those with rectal cancer. CASE PRESENTATION: This is a case report of a 58-year-old woman with a swollen right lower extremity 14 months after radical resection for rectal cancer. Although ultrasonography indicated the presence of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) located in the right common iliac vein, interventional angiography showed that a circular mass, considered a tumor thrombus, was located in the right common iliac vein. The tumor thrombus was cured by interventional therapy, and the pathological report confirmed that the metastatic tumor thrombus originated from the rectal cancer. The patient underwent concurrent chemoradiotherapy and systemic therapy. However, right lung, retroperitoneum, and 2nd sacral vertebral metastases were discovered during follow-up. CONCLUSION: The correct diagnosis of a tumor thrombus and its differentiation from DVT can prevent incorrect treatment and prolong the survival of patients with rectal cancer.

Unraveling the causal role of immune cells in gastrointestinal tract cancers: insights from a Mendelian randomization study.

Background: Despite early attempts, the relationship between immune characteristics and gastrointestinal tract cancers remains incompletely elucidated. Hence, rigorous and further investigations in this domain hold significant clinical relevance for the development of novel potential immunotherapeutic targets. Methods: We conducted a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis using the tools available in the "TwoSampleMR" R package. The GWAS data for these 731 immune traits were sourced from the GWAS Catalog database. Concurrently, data on gastrointestinal tract cancers, encompassing malignant tumors in the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, colon, and rectum, were extracted from the FinnGen database. The immune traits subjected to MR analysis predominantly fall into four categories: median fluorescence intensities (MFI), relative cell (RC), absolute cell (AC), and morphological parameters (MP). To ensure the reliability of our findings, sensitivity analyses were implemented to address robustness, account for heterogeneity, and alleviate the impact of horizontal pleiotropy. Results: A total of 78 immune traits causally linked to gastrointestinal tract cancers were identified, encompassing esophageal cancer (12 traits), gastric cancer (13 traits), small intestine cancer (22 traits), colon cancer (12 traits), and rectal cancer (19 traits). Additionally, 60 immune traits were recognized as protective factors associated with gastrointestinal tract cancers, distributed across esophageal cancer (14 traits), gastric cancer (16 traits), small intestine cancer (7 traits), colon cancer (14 traits), and rectal cancer (9 traits). Furthermore, it was observed that seven immune traits are causally related to gastrointestinal tract cancers in at least two locations. These traits include "CCR2 on CD14- CD16+ monocyte," "CD19 on IgD+ CD38-," "CD19 on IgD+ CD38- naive," "CD25hi CD45RA+ CD4 not Treg AC," "CD27 on unsw mem," "CD28 on CD39+ activated Treg," and "CD45 on CD4+." Conclusion: This study elucidates a causal link between immune cells and gastrointestinal tract cancers at various sites through genetic investigation. The findings of this research open up new perspectives and resources for exploring tumor prevention strategies and immunotherapeutic targets.

An ileal gastrointestinal stromal tumor misdiagnosed as pelvic metastases from rectal cancer: a case report.

With the advancement of imaging and pathological diagnostic methods, it is not uncommon to see synchronous gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) and other primary cancers, the most common of which are synchronous gastric cancer and gastric GIST. However, synchronous advanced rectal cancer and high-risk GIST in the terminal ileum are extremely rare, and they are easily misdiagnosed as rectal cancer with pelvic metastases due to their special location near iliac vessels. Herein, we report a 55-year-old Chinese woman with rectal cancer. Preoperative imaging revealed a middle and lower rectal lesion with a right pelvic mass (considered possible metastasis from rectal cancer). Through multidisciplinary discussions, we suspected the possibility of rectal cancer synchronous with a GIST in the terminal ileum. Intraoperative exploration by laparoscopy revealed a terminal ileal mass with pelvic adhesion, a rectal mass with plasma membrane depression, and no abdominal or liver metastases. Laparoscopic radical proctectomy (DIXON) plus partial small bowel resection plus prophylactic loop ileostomy was performed, and the pathological report confirmed the coexistence of advanced rectal cancer and a high-risk ileal GIST. The patient was treated with the chemotherapy (CAPEOX regimen) plus targeted therapy(imatinib) after surgery, and no abnormalities were observed on the follow-up examination. Synchronous rectal cancer and ileal GIST are rare and easily misdiagnosed as a rectal cancer with pelvic metastases, and careful preoperative imaging analysis and prompt laparoscopic exploration are required to determine the diagnosis and prolong patient survival.

Case report: Rupture of an ileus tube in a patient with recurrent rectal cancer.

The insertion of an ileus tube is an important treatment for intestinal obstruction. According to previous reports, jejunal intussusception has been reported as a complication associated with ileus tube placement. However, rupture of the weighted tip of an ileus tube has not been reported before. Herein, we report a 55-year-old Chinese woman who underwent radical proctectomy (DIXON) for rectal cancer and developed pelvic recurrence and lung metastasis 65 months after surgery, accompanied by symptoms of acute intestinal obstruction. An ileus tube was inserted before the operation (extensive total hysterectomy, bilateral adnexal resection, rectal Hartman operation, partial enterectomy, and intestinal adhesion lysis). Rupture of the ileus tube occurred after the operation and was treated with paraffin oil and enteral nutrition, and the metal beads and spring were eliminated through the colostomy. During the follow-up, the patient received targeted therapy plus immunotherapy, which was successful: the quality of life of the patient was excellent, and no obvious abnormal symptoms were found. Endoscopy-assisted ileus tube insertion should be performed under intravenous anesthesia, and a knot should be tied at the tip of the ileus tube before insertion so that the ileus tube can be inserted easily by grasping the thread with biopsy forceps(the "thread-knotting" method). With the above methods, the procedure of ileus tube insertion could be improved to reduce the incidence of tube-related rupture.

Retroperitoneal congenital epidermoid cyst misdiagnosed as a solid pseudopapillary tumor of the pancreas: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Retroperitoneal cysts are rare and usually asymptomatic abdominal lesions. Epidermoid cysts are frequent benign cutaneous tumors, but retroperitoneal localization of these cysts does not occur very often. CASE SUMMARY: We report a case report of a 25-year-old woman with a giant mass in the abdominal cavity. Because imaging examination indicated that the mass probably originated from the pancreas, the mass was considered a solid pseudopapillary tumor of the pancreas (SPTP). However, surgery revealed a retroperitoneal epidermoid cyst located behind the pancreas neck and the root of the superior mesenteric artery (SMA). We performed complete resection of the tumor. Postoperative pathology showed an epidermoid cyst. The patient fared well after two months of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Surgery is the gold standard for the diagnosis and treatment of retroperitoneal epidermoid cysts. Retroperitoneal epidermoid cysts around the pancreas are easily misdiagnosed as cystic SPTPs. Surgeons should pay particular attention to preoperative diagnosis to reduce severe surgical complications and improve the quality of life of patients.

Acute appendicitis in the short term following radical total gastrectomy misdiagnosed as duodenal stump leakage: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Common diseases after radical gastrectomy include cholecystitis and pancreatitis, but the sudden onset of acute appendicitis in a short period following radical gastrectomy is very rare, and its clinical symptoms are easily misdiagnosed as duodenal stump leakage. CASE SUMMARY: This is a case report of a 77-year-old woman with lower right abdominal pain 14 d after radical resection of gastric cancer. Her pain was not relieved by conservative treatment, and her inflammatory markers were elevated. Computed tomography showed effusion in the perihepatic and hepatorenal spaces, right paracolic sulcus and pelvis, as well as exudative changes in the right iliac fossa. Ultrasound-guided puncture revealed a slightly turbid yellow-green fluid. Laparoscopic exploration showed a swollen appendix with surrounding pus moss and no abnormalities of the digestive anastomosis or stump; thus, laparoscopic appendectomy was performed. The patient recovered well after the operation. Postoperative pathology showed acute purulent appendicitis. The patient continued adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery, completing three cycles of oxaliplatin plus S-1 (SOX regimen). CONCLUSION: Acute appendicitis in the short term after radical gastrectomy needs to be differentiated from duodenal stump leakage, and early diagnosis and surgery are the most important means of treatment.

Effectiveness and safety of low-dose apatinib in advanced gastric cancer: A real-world study.

Apatinib has been demonstrated to be effective and safe among patients with gastric cancer failing after at least two lines chemotherapy. This study aimed to evaluate its effectiveness and safety of low-dose apatinib for the treatment of gastric cancer in real-world practice. We performed a prospective, multicenter observation study in a real-world setting. Patients with advanced gastric cancer more than 18 years old were eligible and received low-dose apatinib (500 mg or 250mg per day) therapy. The median progression-free survival (PFS), median overall survival (OS), objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), and safety were assessed. Between September 2017 and April 2019, a total of 747 patients were enrolled. The mPFS was 5.56 months (95% CI 4.47-6.28), and mOS was 7.5 months (95% CI 6.74-8.88). Four patients achieved complete response, 47 achieved partial response, and 374 patients achieved stable disease. The ORR was 6.83% and DCR was 56.89%. In addition, multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that hand-foot syndrome was one independent predictor for PFS and OS. The most common adverse events (AEs) at any grade were hypertension (36.55%), proteinuria (10.26%), hand-foot syndrome (33.53%), fatigue (24.9%), anemia (57.35%), leukopenia (44.49%), thrombocytopenia (34.21%), and neutropenia (53.33%). Grade 3-4 AEs with incidences of 5% or greater were anemia (13.97%), thrombocytopenia (7.14%), and neutropenia (6.67%). No treatment-related death was observed during the treatment of apatinib. The prospective study suggested that low-dose apatinib was an effective regimen for the treatment of advanced gastric cancer with tolerable or controlled toxicity in real world. Trial registration: NCT03333967.