Cancer risk and genotype-phenotype correlation in Japanese patients with Cowden syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Cowden syndrome (CS) is an autosomal-dominant hereditary disorder caused by a germline PTEN variant and characterized by multiple hamartomas and a high risk of cancers. However, no detailed data on CS in Asian patients nor genotype-phenotype correlation have been reported. METHODS: We performed the first Japanese nationwide questionnaire survey on CS and obtained questionnaire response data on 49 CS patients. RESULTS: Patients included 26 females (median age 48 years). The incidence of breast, thyroid, endometrium, and colorectal cancer was 32.7%, 12.2%, 19.2% (among females), and 6.1%, respectively. The incidence of any cancers was relatively high among all patients (46.9%, 23/49), and particularly female patients (73.1%, 19/26), compared with previous reports from Western countries. Gastrointestinal (GI) polyps were more frequently found throughout the GI tract compared with previous studies. PTEN variants were detected in 95.6% (22/23) of patients; 12 in the N-terminal region (11 in phosphatase domain) and 10 in the C-terminal (C2 domain) region. The incidence of cancer in the C2 domain group was significantly higher than in the N-terminal region (phosphatase) group. All female patients with C2 domain variant had breast cancer. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that Japanese patients with CS, particularly female patients and patients with C2 domain variant may have a high risk of cancers.

Effects of audio and visual distraction on patients' vital signs and tolerance during esophagogastroduodenoscopy: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) provides an indispensable and unambiguous inspection allowing the discovery upper gastrointestinal lesions. However, many patients are anxious about undergoing EGD. Few studies have investigated the influence on patients' vital signs and tolerance during EGD using subjective and objective assessments. This study was a prospective randomized controlled study that investigated the influence of audio and visual distraction on EGD. METHODS: We randomly divided 289 subjects who underwent EGD into 4 groups (control group, audio group, visual group, combination group) and examined their vital signs, heart rate variability (HRV), psychological items, and acceptance of distraction. RESULTS: Pulse rate (PR) at post-distraction and post-EGD in the 3 distraction groups were significantly lower than those of control group (p <  0.001 and p <  0.01, respectively). Blood pressure (BP) during and post-EGD was significantly higher than that at pre-EGD in control group (p <  0.05), but no significant elevation of BP was observed during the latter half of EGD and post-EGD in the 3 distraction groups. BP at post-distraction improved significantly compared to pre-distraction in the 3 distraction groups (p <  0.05). There was a significant difference in the low-frequency (LF) power/ high-frequency (HF) power at post-distraction and post-EGD among the 4 groups (p <  0.001 and p <  0.001, respectively). The LF power/HF power at post-distraction and post-EGD in the 3 distraction groups was significantly lower than that in control group (p <  0.05). Several items of profile of mood states (POMS) and the impression of EGD at post-distraction improved significantly compared to those at pre-distraction among the 3 distraction groups (p <  0.05). Visual analog scale (VAS) of willingness for the next use of distraction in the 3 distraction groups was excellent because VAS was more than 70. CONCLUSIONS: Distractions effectively improved psychological factors, vital signs and some of HRV at pre and post-EGD. Distractions may suppress BP elevation during the latter half of EGD and lead to stability of HRV on EGD. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This prospective trial was registered in the University Hospital Medical Information Network (UMIN) Clinical Trials Registry as UMIN000029637. Registered on 20 October 2017.

Duodenal cancer in a young patient with Peuts-Jeghers syndrome harboring an entire deletion of the STK11 gene.

A 21-year-old woman with Peuts-Jeghers syndrome (PJS) was referred to our hospital for gastrointestinal surveillance. She had been diagnosed as having PJS from a young age based on her family history and the presence of mucocutaneous pigmentation on her lips and oral mucosa. Her mother and brother had PJS harboring an entire deletion of the STK11 gene. She had tetralogy of Fallot, atrial tachycardia, sick sinus syndrome, and mental retardation in her past history. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy identified a protruded lesion with a depressed area that occupied the lumen half-circumferentially in the duodenal second portion and also showed a 10-mm protruded lesion on the anterior wall of the lower gastric body. Colonoscopy revealed a 3-mm protruded lesion on the rectum. No polyp was found in a barium small bowel series. Biopsies were taken from the duodenal tumor and gastric and colon polyps. Histopathologically, the duodenal tumor revealed a well-differentiated tubular adenocarcinoma, whereas gastric and colon polyps showed hamartomatous polyp. Therefore, subtotal stomach-preserving pancreatoduodenectomy was performed, and subsequent histopathological examination revealed that the duodenal tumor consisted of hamartomatous polyp and a well-differentiated tubular adenocarcinoma with invasion to the muscularis propria. Immunohistochemistry revealed accumulation of nuclear p53 protein, but no accumulation of nuclear ß-catenin protein. No RAS mutation was detected. Furthermore, direct sequencing of the STK11 gene in genomic DNA from peripheral blood mononuclear cells did not detect any mutation initially. However, multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) analysis revealed entire deletion of STK11. These findings suggest that entire deletion of the STK11 gene caused hamartomatous polyps in the entire gastrointestinal tract and, subsequently, duodenal polyps likely gave rise to cancer through p53 mutation.

Colon capsule endoscopy: toward the future.

Colon capsule endoscopy is a wireless and minimally invasive technique for visualization of the whole colon. With recent improvements of technical features in second-generation systems, a more important role for colon capsule endoscopy is rapidly emerging. Although several limitations and drawbacks are yet to be resolved, its usefulness as a tool for colorectal cancer screening and monitoring disease activity in inflammatory bowel diseases has become more apparent with increased use. Further investigations, including multicenter trials, are required to evaluate the substantial role of the colon capsule in managing colorectal diseases.

Insulin-like growth factor II-producing metastatic colon cancer with recurrent hypoglycemia.

A 45-year-old man was referred to our hospital and found to have a tubular adenocarcinoma of the descending colon with multiple liver metastases. During hospitalization, the patient suffered recurrent hypoglycemic attacks that required intravenous 50% glucose infusion. He was diagnosed with non-islet cell tumor hypoglycemia (NICTH) because the colon cancer tissue obtained by biopsy was strongly stained for insulin-like growth factor-II (IGF-II) by immunohistochemistry. He received chemotherapy with oxaliplatin, 5-FU and leucovorin (FOLFOX) plus bevacizumab (Bmab), and showed a partial response. As the metastatic lesions decreased in size, the hypoglycemic attacks gradually disappeared. Subsequently, he received outpatient chemotherapy and maintained a high quality of life for about 10 months. Western blot analysis of IGF-II in serum at the time of admission showed a high-molecular-weight form of IGF-II, which was considered to have caused hypoglycemia. This patient presents a very rare case of colorectal cancer associated with NICTH syndrome due to production of high-molecular-weight IGF-II by cancer cells. It is important to investigate IGF-II expression in cancer tissues for establishing the diagnosis of NICTH in cases with intractable hypoglycemia complicated by advanced cancer.