Endoscopic visualization of cancer and dysplasia in patients with ulcerative colitis following sensitization with oral 5-aminolevulinic acid.

OBJECTIVE: Early diagnosis of colitis-associated cancer and dysplasia through surveillance endoscopy is vital for patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of autofluorescence endoscopy (AFE) using 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) and to investigate the fluorescence signal localization pattern following 5-ALA administration in tumorous lesions diagnosed as colitis-associated cancer and dysplasia. The sensitivity and specificity of tumorous lesions detected by white light endoscopy (WLE) with and without AFE were evaluated. METHODS: Overall, 13 endoscopic procedures were performed in 11 patients with UC using WLE and AFE following the oral administration of 5-ALA. The biopsied lesions detected via endoscopy and resected specimens from cases underwent colectomy were assessed histopathologically. The sensitivity and specificity of detecting tumorous lesions by WLE with and without AFE were evaluated. RESULTS: Of the 68 lesions detected and biopsied, 63 were detected via WLE, and five were detected via AFE alone. The sensitivity of detecting colitis-associated cancer and dysplasia via WLE combined with AFE was 36.4%, and the specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were 94.2%, 57.1%, and 87.5%, respectively. Tumorous lesions displayed three types of fluorescence patterns on AFE. CONCLUSIONS: AFE using 5-ALA can detect colitis-associated cancer and dysplasia in patients with long-standing UC and lesions that could not be detected via WLE. The distinctive fluorescence patterns in lesions may permit qualitative diagnoses of colitis-associated cancer and dysplasia.

[A case of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome with ileocecal ulcer].

We report a case of a patient with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and ileocecal ulcer. A 31-year-old man was admitted with chief complaints of decreased body weight and abdominal pain. Colonoscopy revealed a round punched-out ulcer on the ileocecal valve. Initially, we suspected entero-Behçet's disease and simple ulcer as the cause of the ileocecal ulcer. However, after histologic examination of tissue biopsies obtained during colonoscopy, we diagnosed the patient as having cytomegalovirus (CMV) enteritis. Based on the patient's white blood cell depletion and CMV enteritis, we performed a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antibody test. The test was positive, and the diagnosis of AIDS was established. The number of patients with AIDS has been increasing in Japan; thus, we should consider the possibility of CMV enteritis and AIDS in young adult patients affected by ileocecal ulcer with no notable history.

Unusual images of mass-forming intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

We experienced a case of mass-forming intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma which could not been diagnosed accurately without pathologic findings. A 78-year-old Japanese woman with no particular symptoms was admitted for changes in liver function tests. Ultrasonography revealed a solid liver tumor. When there are no typical imaging features, no pathognomonic clinical findings and no obvious risk factors for any specific hepatic tumor, it may be difficult to make an accurate diagnosis before surgical resection. The lesion was resected on the basis of a high degree of suspicion for malignancy and submitted for pathologic evaluation. Microscopically, the neoplasm was a moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma with abundant fibrous stroma, consistent with a mass-forming cholangiocarcinoma. This case exemplifies the importance of considering the various tumorous and non-tumorous diseases in the differential diagnosis of a liver mass with atypical features, especially when malignancy cannot be excluded.