Primary osteosarcoma of the breast.

We report a case of primary osteosarcoma of the breast, which is a rare histological type of all breast tumors. A 58-year-old woman had noticed a right breast mass long before presenting to our hospital because it had gradually increased in size. The mass was bony-hard, 90 x 70 mm in size, and was located mainly in the upper outer quadrant of the left breast. Mammography demonstrated a round radiopaque mass with a shaggy outline. There were small bone metastases to the pelvis and scapula on bone radionuclide scan, but no other metastasis was observed with subsequent investigations. Modified radical mastectomy including axillary lymph node dissection was performed. Histologically, the excised tumor was consistent with extraskeletal osteosarcoma of the breast accompanied by lymph node metastses. In spite of adjuvant chemotherapy, the patient suffered a local recurrence four months later and died of aggressive multiple metastases 7 months after surgery.

[Three cases of advanced gastric cancer treated by TS-1 in combination with low-dose cisplatinum].

TS-1, a DPD inhibitory fluoropyrimidine, is a novel oral formation of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). In patients with advanced gastric cancer, the response rate was reportedly over 40%. We report three cases of advanced gastric cancer treated using TS-1 in combination with a low-dose of cisplatinum (CDDP) that well responded. Case 1: A 62-year-old women underwent total gastrectomy. Ten weeks later, she suffered intestinal obstruction due to peritoneal recurrence of gastric cancer. Eighty mg of TS-1 in combination with bi-weekly administration of CDDP (10 mg) improved her intestinal obstruction. Case 2: A 50-year-old man suffered peritoneal recurrence of gastric cancer. Computed tomography (CT) showed intestinal obstruction, ascites, and hydronephrosis. After 100 mg of TS-1 in combination with bi-weekly administration of CDDP (20 mg) for 1 year, CT showed almost complete improvement of peritonitis carcinomatosa. Case 3: A 58-year-old man, who suffered advanced gastric cancer with peritonitis carcinomatosa, was administrated 100 mg of TS-1 in combination with bi-weekly administration of CDDP (20 mg). After 2 months of administration, remarkable improvement was observed in the upper gastrointestinal series. Adverse reactions, which were grade 1 for stomatitis, were observed only in case 1. All three patients are alive (case 1 and 2 have survived more than one year) and therapy is continuing. In conclusion, combined chemotherapy of TS-1 and low-dose CDDP was effective and well tolerable for advanced gastric cancer patients. It was suggested that effective biochemical modulation might be achieved by these two drugs.

Microsatellite instability in thorotrast-induced human intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

Thorotrast, a colloidal suspension of radioactive (232)ThO(2) that emits alpha particles, was used as a radiographic contrast during World War II. It is known to induce liver cancers, most frequently ICC, decades after injection. Since radiation induces genomic instability, we analyzed MSI in Thorotrast-induced ICC. The frequency of MSI(+) cases was 62.5% in Thorotrast ICC, whereas it was 22.7% in non-Thorotrast ICC. However, frameshift mutations of mononucleotide repeats were not observed in Thorotrast ICC. In addition, the MSI(+) phenotype was not associated with the quantity of Thorotrast deposited or the latency period of ICC induction. Promoter regions of both the hMLH1 and the hMSH2 MMR genes tended to be hypermethylated in the tumor part compared to the adjacent nontumor part in Thorotrast ICC. Methylation of the hMLH1 promoter was associated with the MSI(+) phenotype in Thorotrast ICC. In contrast, methylation status of these promoter regions was not related to MSI in non-Thorotrast ICC cases. These findings suggest that MSI induced by exposure to Thorotrast mainly reflects clonal expansion of cancer cells and is partly due to inactivation of hMLH1 by hypermethylation.

Management of adrenal metastasis from hepatocellular carcinoma.

PURPOSE: Although the adrenal gland is a common site of extrahepatic metastasis from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), there are no definitive guidelines for the treatment of adrenal metastasis. This study examines the effectiveness of various treatments for this disease. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 20 patients treated for adrenal metastasis of HCC by adrenalectomy ( n = 13), transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), or percutaneous ethanol injection therapy (PEIT) ( n = 7). RESULTS: There were no significant differences in cumulative survival rates between patients given adrenalectomy and those given TACE or PEIT, either after completing treatment for primary HCC or after the first treatment for adrenal metastasis. Six of seven patients with tumor thrombi in the inferior vena cava (IVC) from adrenal metastasis underwent adrenalectomy combined with intracaval thrombectomy, five of whom survived for more than 1 year after surgery, and two of whom are still alive without any recurrence more than 3 years after surgery. PEIT showed good results for small adrenal metastasis. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that therapeutic modalities should be chosen according to the clinical features of each individual, including the size of the metastatic tumor, whether there is invasion into the IVC, the function of the remaining liver, and the existence of intra- and/or nonadrenal extrahepatic lesions. Furthermore, intracaval tumor thrombectomy could be indicated for patients with IVC thrombus if they are suitable candidates for surgery.

Significance of serum type IV collagen level of hepatectomized patients with chronic liver damage.

Type IV collagen, one of the serum markers for hepatic fibrosis, was measured perioperatively in patients with and without chronic liver damage to investigate whether this parameter changes in response to acute stress to the liver and can predict the surgical risk of hepatic resection. The serum type IV collagen level was significantly elevated in patients with liver cirrhosis. There were significant correlations between serum type IV collagen levels and the indocyanine green clearance test and cholinesterase activity, although the correlation coefficients were not high. The size of the resected hepatic mass was not the primary factor to influence the postoperative serum type IV collagen level. In patients with liver cirrhosis, the postoperative serum type IV collagen level increased significantly compared to that in patients with normal liver or chronic hepatitis. Postoperative liver failure occurred in 0%, 11.6%, and 44.4% of patients with preoperative serum type IV collagen levels of <150, < or = 150 to 300, and > or = 300 ng/ml, respectively. In those with postoperative liver failure, the serum type IV collagen levels were significantly higher both pre- and postoperatively compared to those in patients with uneventful courses. Several preoperative liver function tests indicated that type IV collagen is an independent risk factor for postoperative liver failure. Thus perioperative measurement of the serum type IV collagen levels seemed to be useful for predicting the risk of hepatic resection in patients with chronic liver damage.