Effect of Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy on Cytoreductive Surgery in Gastric Cancer With Synchronous Peritoneal Metastases: The Phase III GASTRIPEC-I Trial.

PURPOSE: In patients with peritoneal metastasis (PM) from gastric cancer (GC), chemotherapy is the treatment of choice. Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) are still being debated. This randomized, controlled, open-label, multicenter phase III trial (EudraCT 2006-006088-22; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02158988) explored the impact on overall survival (OS) of HIPEC after CRS. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Adult patients with GC and histologically proven PM were randomly assigned (1:1) to perioperative chemotherapy and CRS alone (CRS-A) or CRS plus HIPEC (CRS + H). HIPEC comprised mitomycin C 15 mg/m2 and cisplatin 75 mg/m2 in 5 L of saline perfused for 60 minutes at 42°C. The primary end point was OS; secondary endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS), other distant metastasis-free survival (MFS), and safety. Analyses followed the intention-to-treat principle. RESULTS: Between March 2014 and June 2018, 105 patients were randomly assigned (53 patients to CRS-A and 52 patients to CRS + H). The trial stopped prematurely because of slow recruitment. In 55 patients, treatment stopped before CRS mainly due to disease progression/death. Median OS was the same for both groups (CRS + H, 14.9 [97.2% CI, 8.7 to 17.7] months v CRS-A, 14.9 [97.2% CI, 7.0 to 19.4] months; P = .1647). The PFS was 3.5 months (95% CI, 3.0 to 7.0) in the CRS-A group and 7.1 months (95% CI, 3.7 to 10.5; P = .047) in the CRS + H group. The CRS + H group showed better MFS (10.2 months [95% CI, 7.7 to 14.7] v CRS-A, 9.2 months [95% CI, 6.8 to 11.5]; P = .0286). The incidence of grade ≥3 adverse events (AEs) was similar between groups (CRS-A, 38.1% v CRS + H, 43.6%; P = .79). CONCLUSION: This study showed no OS difference between CRS + H and CRS-A. PFS and MFS were significantly better in the CRS + H group, which needs further exploration. HIPEC did not increase AEs.

Ultra-sensitive CTC-based liquid biopsy for pancreatic cancer enabled by large blood volume analysis.

The limited sensitivity of circulating tumor cell (CTC) detection in pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) stems from their extremely low concentration in the whole circulating blood, necessitating enhanced detection methodologies. This study sought to amplify assay-sensitivity by employing diagnostic leukapheresis (DLA) to screen large blood volumes. Sixty patients were subjected to DLA, with a median processed blood volume of ~ 2.8 L and approximately 5% of the resulting DLA-product analyzed using CellSearch (CS). Notably, DLA significantly increased CS-CTC detection to 44% in M0-patients and 74% in M1-patients, yielding a 60-fold increase in CS-CTC enumeration. DLA also provided sufficient CS-CTCs for genomic profiling, thereby delivering additional genomic information compared to tissue biopsy samples. DLA CS-CTCs exhibited a pronounced negative prognostic impact on overall survival (OS), evidenced by a reduction in OS from 28.6 to 8.5 months (univariate: p = 0.002; multivariable: p = 0.043). Additionally, a marked enhancement in sensitivity was achieved (by around 3-4-times) compared to peripheral blood (PB) samples, with positive predictive values for OS being preserved at around 90%. Prognostic relevance of CS-CTCs in PDAC was further validated in PB-samples from 228 PDAC patients, consolidating the established association between CTC-presence and reduced OS (8.5 vs. 19.0 months, p < 0.001). In conclusion, DLA-derived CS-CTCs may serve as a viable tool for identifying high-risk PDAC-patients and aiding the optimization of multimodal treatment strategies. Moreover, DLA enables comprehensive diagnostic profiling by providing ample CTC material, reinforcing its utility as a reliable liquid-biopsy approach. This high-volume liquid-biopsy strategy presents a potential pathway for enhancing clinical management in this malignancy.

In situ split plus portal vein ligation (ISLT) - a salvage procedure following inefficient portal vein embolization to gain adequate future liver remnant volume prior to extended liver resection.

BACKGROUND: Right extended liver resection is frequently required to achieve tumor-free margins. Portal venous embolization (PVE) of the prospective resected hepatic segments for conditioning segments II/III does not always induce adequate hypertrophy in segments II and III (future liver remnant volume (FLRV)) for extended right-resection. Here, we present the technique of in situ split dissection along segments II/III plus portal disruption to segments IV-VIII (ISLT) as a salvage procedure to overcome inadequate gain of FLRV after PVE. METHODS: In eight patients, FLRV was further pre-conditioned following failed PVE prior to hepatectomy (ISLT-group). We compared FLRV changes in the ISLT group with patients receiving extended right hepatectomy following sufficient PVE (PVEres-group). Survival of the ISLT-group was compared to PVEres patients and PVE patients with insufficient FLRV gain or tumor progress who did not receive further surgery (PVEnores-group). RESULTS: Patient characteristics and surgical outcome were comparable in both groups. The mean FLRV-to-body-weight ratio in the ISLT group was smaller than in the PVEres-group pre- and post-PVE. One intraoperative mortality due to a coronary infarction was observed for an ISLT patient. ISLT was successfully completed in the remaining seven ISLT patients. Liver function and 2-year survival of ~ 50% was comparable to patients with extended right hepatectomy after efficient PVE. Patients who received a PVE but who were not subsequently resected (PVEnores) demonstrated no survival beyond 4 months. CONCLUSION: Despite extended embolization of segments I and IV-VIII, ISLT should be considered if hypertrophy was not adequate. Liver function and overall survival after ISLT was comparable to patients with trisectionectomy after efficient PVE.

ALPPS for Locally Advanced Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma: Did Aggressive Surgery Lead to the Oncological Benefit? An International Multi-center Study.

BACKGROUND: ALPPS is found to increase the resectability of primary and secondary liver malignancy at the advanced stage. The aim of the study was to verify the surgical and oncological outcome of ALPPS for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). METHODS: The study cohort was based on the ALPPS registry with patients from 31 international centers between August 2009 and January 2018. Propensity score matched patients receiving chemotherapy only were selected from the SEER database as controls for the survival analysis. RESULTS: One hundred and two patients undergoing ALPPS were recruited, 99 completed the second stage with median inter-stage duration of 11 days. The median kinetic growth rate was 23 ml/day. R0 resection was achieved in 87 (85%). Initially high rates of morbidity and mortality decreased steadily to a 29% severe complication rate and 7% 90-day morbidity in the last 2 years. Post-hepatectomy liver failure remained the main cause of 90-day mortality. Multivariate analysis revealed insufficient future liver remnant at the stage-2 operation (FLR2) to be the only risk factor for severe complications (OR 2.91, p = 0.02). The propensity score matching analysis showed a superior overall survival in the ALPPS group compared to palliative chemotherapy (median overall survival: 26.4 months vs 14 months; 1-, 2-, and 3-year survival rates: 82.4%, 70.5% and 39.6% vs 51.2%, 21.4% and 11.3%, respectively, p < 0.01). The survival benefit, however, was not confirmed in the subgroup analysis for patients with insufficient FLR2 or multifocal ICC. CONCLUSION: ALPPS showed high efficacy in achieving R0 resections in locally advanced ICC. To get the most oncological benefit from this aggressive surgery, ALPPS would be restricted to patients with single lesions and sufficient FLR2.

Survivin and XIAP - two potential biological targets in follicular thyroid carcinoma.

Follicular thyroid carcinoma's (FTC) overall good prognosis deteriorates if the tumour fails to retain radioactive iodine. Therefore, new druggable targets are in high demand for this subset of patients. Here, we investigated the prognostic and biological role of survivin and XIAP in FTC. Survivin and XIAP expression was investigated in 44 FTC and corresponding non-neoplastic thyroid specimens using tissue microarrays. Inhibition of both inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAP) was induced by shRNAs or specific small molecule antagonists and functional changes were investigated in vitro and in vivo. Survivin and XIAP were solely expressed in FTC tissue. Survivin expression correlated with an advanced tumour stage and recurrent disease. In addition, survivin proved to be an independent negative prognostic marker. Survivin or XIAP knockdown caused a significant reduction in cell viability and proliferation, activated caspase3/7 and was associated with a reduced tumour growth in vivo. IAP-targeting compounds induced a decrease of cell viability, proliferation and cell cycle activity accompanied by an increase in apoptosis. Additionally, YM155 a small molecule inhibitor of survivin expression significantly inhibited tumour growth in vivo. Both IAPs demonstrate significant functional implications in the oncogenesis of FTCs and thus prove to be viable targets in patients with advanced FTC.

Risk Adjustment in ALPPS Is Associated With a Dramatic Decrease in Early Mortality and Morbidity.

OBJECTIVE: To longitudinally assess whether risk adjustment in Associating Liver Partition and Portal Vein Ligation for Staged Hepatectomy (ALPPS) occurred over time and is associated with postoperative outcome. BACKGROUND: ALPPS is a novel 2-stage hepatectomy enabling resection of extensive hepatic tumors. ALPPS has been criticized for its high mortality, which is reported beyond accepted standards in liver surgery. Therefore, adjustments in patient selection and technique have been performed but have not yet been studied over time in relation to outcome. METHODS: ALPPS centers of the International ALPPS Registry having performed ≥10 cases over a period of ≥3 years were assessed for 90-day mortality and major interstage complications (≥3b) of the longitudinal study period from 2009 to 2015. The predicted prestage 1 and 2 mortality risks were calculated for each patient. In addition, questionnaires were sent to all centers exploring center-specific risk adjustment strategies. RESULTS: Among 437 patients from 16 centers, a shift in indications toward colorectal liver metastases from 53% to 77% and a reverse trend in biliary tumors from 24% to 9% were observed. Over time, 90-day mortality decreased from initially 17% to 4% in 2015 (P = 0.002). Similarly, major interstage complications decreased from 10% to 3% (P = 0.011). The reduction of 90-day mortality was independently associated with a risk adjustment in patient selection (P < 0.001; OR: 1.62; 95% CI: 1.36-1.93) and using less invasive techniques in stage-1 surgery (P = 0.019; OR: 0.39; 95% CI: 0.18-0.86). A survey indicated risk adjustment of patient selection in all centers and ALPPS technique in the majority (80%) of centers. CONCLUSIONS: Risk adjustment of patient selection and technique in ALPPS resulted in a continuous drop of early mortality and major postoperative morbidity, which has meanwhile reached standard outcome measures accepted for major liver surgery.

High mortality after ALPPS for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma: case-control analysis including the first series from the international ALPPS registry.

INTRODUCTION: Resection of perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (PHC) entails high-risk surgery with postoperative mortality reported up to 18%, even in specialized centers. The aim of this study was to compare outcomes of PHC patients who underwent associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy (ALPPS) to patients who underwent resection without ALPPS. METHODS: All patients who underwent ALPPS for PHC were identified from the international ALPPS registry and matched controls were selected from a standard resection cohort from two centers based on future remnant liver size. Outcomes included morbidity, mortality, and overall survival. RESULTS: ALPPS for PHC was associated with 48% (14/29) 90-day mortality. 90-day mortality was 13% in 257 patients who underwent major liver resection for PHC without ALPPS. The 29 ALPPS patients were matched to 29 patients resected without ALPPS, with similar future liver remnant volume (P = 0.480). Mortality in the matched control group was 24% (P = 0.100) and median OS was 27 months, comparted to 6 months after ALPPS (P = 0.064). DISCUSSION: Outcomes of ALPPS for PHC appear inferior compared to standard extended resections in high-risk patients. Therefore, portal vein embolization should remain the preferred method to increase future remnant liver volume in patients with PHC. ALPPS is not recommended for PHC.

Preclinical assesement of survivin and XIAP as prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets in gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasia.

Gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (GEP-NEN) represent a rare and heterogenous tumor entity. Importantly, the highly proliferative subgroup of neuroendocrine carcinoma (GEP-NEC) is characterized by high resistance to conventional chemotherapy. Consequently, there is an urgent need to identify novel therapeutic targets, especially for GEP-NEC. Thus, we focused on Inhibitor of apoptosis protein (IAP) family members survivin and XIAP that orchestrate inhibition of apoptosis, induce resistance against chemotherapeutics and facilitate tumor metastasis. Copy number gains (CNGs) could be detected by microarray comparative genomic hybridization for survivin and XIAP in 60 % and 26.7 % of all GEP-NENs, respectively. Immunohistochemical staining of tissue specimens from 77 consecutive patients with GEP-NEN demonstrated increased survivin protein expression levels in tissue specimens of highly proliferative GEP-NEC or GEP-NEN located in the stomach and colon. In contrast, XIAP overexpression was associated with advanced tumor stages. Knockdown of survivin and XIAP markedly reduced cell proliferation and tumor growth. In vitro, YM155 induced apoptotic cell death accompanied by a reduction in cell proliferation and inhibited GEP-NEC xenograft growth. Taken together, our data provide evidence for a biological relevance of these IAPs in GEP-NEN and support a potential role of survivin as therapeutic target especially in the subgroup of aggressive GEP-NEC.

Peritoneal sarcomatosis: site of origin for the establishment of an in vitro and in vivo cell line model to study therapeutic resistance in dedifferentiated liposarcoma.

Approximately 50-70 % of patients with retroperitoneal or intraabdominal sarcoma develop a relapse after surgical therapy, including peritoneal sarcomatosis, an extremely rare site of metastatic disease which is associated with an extremely poor prognosis. Accordingly, the establishment of a permanent cell line derived from peritoneal sarcomatosis might provide a helpful tool to understand the biological behavior and to develop new therapeutic strategies. Thus, we established and characterized a liposarcoma cell line (Lipo-DUE1) from a peritoneal sarcomatosis that was permanently cultured without showing any morphological changes. Lipo-DUE1 cells exhibited a spindle-shaped morphology and positive staining for S100. Tumorigenicity was demonstrated in vitro by invasion and migration assays and in vivo by using a subcutaneous xenograft mouse model. In addition, aCGH analysis revealed concordant copy number variations on chromosome 12q in the primary tumor, peritoneal sarcomatosis, and Lipo-DUE1 cells that are commonly observed in liposarcoma. Chemotherapeutic sensitivity assays revealed a pronounced drug-resistant phenotype of Lipo-DUE1 cells to conventionally used chemotherapeutic agents. In conclusion, we describe for the first time the establishment and characterization of a liposarcoma cell line derived from a peritoneal sarcomatosis. Hence, in the future, the newly established cell line Lipo-DUE1 might serve as a useful in vitro and in vivo model to investigate the biological behavior of liposarcoma and to assess novel targeted therapies.

A case of lethal spontaneous massive hemothorax in a patient with neurofibromatosis 1.

Neurofibromatosis type 1 is an autosomal dominant disease characterized by multiple dermatological disorders amongst others. Among the less frequent manifestations are vascular abnormalities. Here, we present a case of spontaneous massive hemothorax in a 39-year-old Caucasian woman with neurofibromatosis 1 and a thoracic meningocele with a lethal outcome despite extensive surgical intervention as well as intensive care measures. Spontaneous hemothorax is a rare, but potentially lethal complication of neurofibromatosis type 1, which necessitates quick and decisive intervention; endovascular embolization where possible, otherwise aggressive surgical intervention in unstable patients.

New model for gastroenteropancreatic large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma: establishment of two clinically relevant cell lines.

Recently, a novel WHO-classification has been introduced that divided gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (GEP-NEN) according to their proliferation index into G1- or G2-neuroendocrine tumors (NET) and poorly differentiated small-cell or large-cell G3-neuroendocrine carcinomas (NEC). Our knowledge on primary NECs of the GEP-system is limited due to the rarity of these tumors and chemotherapeutic concepts of highly aggressive NEC do not provide convincing results. The aim of this study was to establish a reliable cell line model for NEC that could be helpful in identifying novel druggable molecular targets. Cell lines were established from liver (NEC-DUE1) or lymph node metastases (NEC-DUE2) from large cell NECs of the gastroesophageal junction and the large intestine, respectively. Morphological characteristics and expression of neuroendocrine markers were extensively analyzed. Chromosomal aberrations were mapped by array comparative genomic hybridization and DNA profiling was analyzed by DNA fingerprinting. In vitro and in vivo tumorigenicity was evaluated and the sensitivity against chemotherapeutic agents assessed. Both cell lines exhibited typical morphological and molecular features of large cell NEC. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that both cell lines retained their malignant properties. Whereas NEC-DUE1 and -DUE2 were resistant to chemotherapeutic drugs such as cisplatin, etoposide and oxaliplatin, a high sensitivity to 5-fluorouracil was observed for the NEC-DUE1 cell line. Taken together, we established and characterized the first GEP large-cell NEC cell lines that might serve as a helpful tool not only to understand the biology of these tumors, but also to establish novel targeted therapies in a preclinical setup.

"Cherry picking", a multiple non-anatomic liver resection technique, as a promising option for diffuse liver metastases in patients with neuroendocrine tumours.

INTRODUCTION: Liver metastases of GEP-NETs are a known major prognostic factor with a strong effect on patients' survival. To date, various treatment options are available, whereas surgery remains the only curative option. Because large liver resections often cannot be performed due to insufficient remnant liver volume, a special operative technique, "cherry picking" (multiple nonanatomic liver resections), can be used as a tissue-preserving procedure. METHODS: Of 91 patients with various GEP-NETs, 16 patients were identified with synchronous or metachronous multifocal, bilobular liver metastases (>10). All were treated with "cherry picking." Patient records were reviewed retrospectively and clinical data and pathology results were analyzed. RESULTS: Mean survival after primary tumour resection was 82.8 versus 41.2 months after liver surgery. All 16 patients are still alive. Mean recurrence-free survival after primary tumour operation was 49.8 versus 24.6 months after liver surgery. Complications of cherry picking included two postoperative biliary leakages and three small hepatic abscesses (conservative/interventional approach 25 % (n = 4), surgical approach 6.25 % (n = 1). There was no postoperative mortality. Initial hormonal symptoms (5/16 patients) completely disappeared postoperatively in 2 patients and were significantly decreased in 3 patients. CONCLUSIONS: The tissue-preserving surgical technique "cherry picking" has developed due to improved imaging techniques and increased knowledge in liver anatomy, which has helped to make this approach safer and easier. Highly selected patients with multiple bilobular liver metastases of GEP-NET can benefit from this special surgical approach, also applicable for recurrent metastases.

Diagnostic leukapheresis enables reliable detection of circulating tumor cells of nonmetastatic cancer patients.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are promising biomarkers for diagnosis and therapy in systemic cancer. However, their infrequent and unreliable detection, especially in nonmetastatic cancer, currently impedes the clinical use of CTCs. Because leukapheresis (LA) targets peripheral blood mononuclear cells, which have a similar density to CTCs, and usually involves processing the whole circulating blood, we tested whether LA could substantially increase CTC detection in operable cancer patients. Therefore, we screened LA products generated from up to 25 L of blood per patient in two independent studies, and found that CTCs can be detected in more than 90% of nonmetastatic breast cancer patients. Interestingly, complete white blood cell sampling enabled determining an upper level for total CTC numbers of about 100,000 cells (median, 7,500 CTCs) per patient and identified a correlation of CTC numbers with anatomic disease spread. We further show that diagnostic leukapheresis can be easily combined with the US Food and Drug Administration-approved CellSearch system for standardized enumeration of CTCs. Direct comparison with 7.5 mL of blood revealed a significantly higher CTC frequency in matched LA samples. Finally, genomic single-cell profiling disclosed highly aberrant CTCs as therapy-escaping variants in breast cancer. In conclusion, LA is a clinically safe method that enabled a reliable detection of CTCs at high frequency even in nonmetastatic cancer patients, and might facilitate the routine clinical use of CTCs as in the sense of a liquid biopsy. Combined with technologies for single-cell molecular genetics or cell biology, it may significantly improve prediction of therapy response and monitoring of early systemic cancer.

Intrahepatic endometriosis as differential diagnosis: case report and literature review.

Intrahepatic endometriosis is one of the rarest forms of atypical endometriosis; only eighteen cases have been reported in the English literature. We describe the case of a 32-year-old woman, who presented with persistent, non-cyclical upper right quadrant abdominal pain, a central liver cyst, and no history of endometriosis. Three years previous, she was diagnosed with an intrahepatic cyst. The lesion progressed and two laparoscopic deroofing-operations were performed, yet the diagnosis of intrahepatic endometriosis was never reached. She presented in our clinic with further progress of the cyst as well as obstruction of the intrahepatic biliary system. The magnetic resonance imaging showed a 9.5 cm × 12 cm, lobulated intrahepatic cyst. We performed an ultrasonic pericystectomy. Immunostaining confirmed intrahepatic endometriosis. Only one of the previously described eighteen patients with intrahepatic endometriosis presented with cyclical pain in the upper right abdominal quadrant accompanying menstruation. This lack of a "typical" clinic makes it challenging to diagnose extragonadal endometriosis without histopathology. A previous history of endometriosis was described in only twelve cases, thus the diagnosis of this condition should not be limited to patients with a known history of endometriosis. Six of 18 patients were postmenopausal, demonstrating this condition is not limited to women of reproductive age. A preoperative diagnosis was only reached in seven of the previously described cases, highlighting the importance of preoperative biopsies. Yet due to the potential adverse effects, a transhepatic biopsy must be discussed individually. Although rare, intrahepatic endometriosis should always be considered as a differential diagnosis in women with recurrent hepatic cysts, regardless of age or previous medical history. In such cases, histology is essential and a pericystectomy should be performed as standard of care.

High EpCAM expression is linked to proliferation and lauren classification in gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: The association of EpCAM expression with the progression of gastric cancer remains unclear. Here, we investigated the expression of EpCAM in gastric cancer subtypes and correlated the data to tumor cell proliferation and clinicopathologic factors. METHODS: The intratumoral expression of EpCAM was assessed in 163 primary gastric cancers (61 diffuse-, 62 intestinal-, 32 mixed-type and 8 unclassified tumors) by immunohistochemistry, using the monoclonal antibody Ber-EP4. Intensity of staining was classified according the HercepTest-score using a standardized scoring system. Ki-67 was used to examine the proliferation in tumor tissue. RESULTS: Strong EpCAM expression was observed in 77% of the tumors and in 85% of the corresponding lymph nodes. Of the primary tumors, 58% (n=74) presented a homogeneous intratumoral EpCAM expression while 42% were characterised by a heterogenous expression pattern. Tumors with high EpCAM expression at the invasive front were associated with significantly (p=0.03) higher proportion of lymph node metastases and lower median overall survival (p=0.001). Diffuse type tumors presented a significantly higher EpCAM expression at the invasion front compared with the tumor centre (p=0.036). Multivariate survival analysis identified high EpCAM expression at the invasive front as an independent prognostic factor.We observed a significant (p=0.001) correlation between high EpCAM expression and higher tumor cell proliferation. CONCLUSION: High EpCAM expression associates with proliferation and progression of gastric cancer, especially in the diffuse type. Considering the discontenting results of the current adjuvant concepts for gastric cancer patients, EpCAM might be target in the adjuvant therapy of this malignant disease.

Small intestine bleeding due to multifocal angiosarcoma.

We report a case of an 84-year-old male patient with primary small intestinal angiosarcoma. The patient initially presented with anemia and melena. Consecutive endoscopy revealed no signs of upper or lower active gastrointestinal bleeding. The patient had been diagnosed 3 years previously with an aortic dilation, which was treated with a stent. Computed tomography suggested an aorto-intestinal fistula as the cause of the intestinal bleeding, leading to operative stent explantation and aortic replacement. However, an aorto-intestinal fistula was not found, and the intestinal bleeding did not arrest postoperatively. The constant need for blood transfusions made an exploratory laparotomy imperative, which showed multiple bleeding sites, predominately in the jejunal wall. A distal loop jejunostomy was conducted to contain the small intestinal bleeding and a segmental resection for histological evaluation was performed. The histological analysis revealed a less-differentiated tumor with characteristic CD31, cytokeratin, and vimentin expression, which led to the diagnosis of small intestinal angiosarcoma. Consequently, the infiltrated part of the jejunum was successfully resected in a subsequent operation, and adjuvant chemotherapy with paclitaxel was planned. Angiosarcoma of the small intestine is an extremely rare malignant neoplasm that presents with bleeding and high mortality. Early diagnosis and treatment are essential to improve outcome. A small intestinal angiosarcoma is a challenging diagnosis to make because of its rarity, nonspecific symptoms of altered intestinal function, nonspecific abdominal pain, severe melena, and acute abdominal signs. Therefore, a quick clinical and histological diagnosis and decisive measures including surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy should be the aim.

Down-regulation of CDH1 is associated with expression of SNAI1 in colorectal adenomas.

INTRODUCTION: Down-regulation of E-cadherin (CDH1) and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) are considered critical events for invasion and metastasis of colorectal carcinoma. Here we tested whether the important regulators of E-cadherin expression SNAI1 and TWIST1 are already detectable in human colorectal adenomas. METHODS: RNA was extracted from a set of randomly selected formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE) colorectal adenomas (n = 41) and normal colon mucosa (n = 10). Subsequently mRNA expression of CDH1, CDH2, SNAI1 and TWIST1 was analysed by quantitative RT-PCR analysis. CDH1 as well as SNAI1 protein expression were assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC). RESULTS: SNAI1 mRNA was expressed in 78% (n = 32/41), TWIST1 mRNA in 41% (n = 17/41) and CDH2 mRNA in 41% (n = 17/41) of the colorectal adenoma tissue, while normal colon mucosa was negative for these transcription factors. We found a significant correlation between reduced CDH1 and the presence of SNAI1 mRNA expression and for combined SNAI1 and TWIST1 mRNA expression, respectively. A correlation between CDH2 mRNA expression and reduced CDH1 expression was not observed. We confirmed the relationship between SNAI1 expression and reduced E-cadherin expression on the protein level via IHC. CONCLUSION: Our data show that SNAI1 and Twist1 are already expressed in benign precursor lesions of colorectal cancer and that SNAI1 expression was significantly correlated with lower expression of CDH1. Whether these findings reflect true EMT and/or are a sign of a more aggressive biology need to be investigated in further studies.

Infusion of CD133+ bone marrow-derived stem cells after selective portal vein embolization enhances functional hepatic reserves after extended right hepatectomy: a retrospective single-center study.

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to evaluate the clinical outcome of patients undergoing portal vein embolization (PVE) and autologous CD133 bone marrow-derived stem cell (CD133+ BMSC) application before extended right hepatectomy. BACKGROUND: We have previously shown that portal venous infusion of CD133+ BMSCs substantially increases hepatic proliferation, when compared with PVE alone. METHODS: : Among 40 consecutive patients with a median follow-up of 28 months (7.4-57.2) scheduled for extended right hepatectomy, we compared a preconditioned group with PVE and CD133+ BMSC cotreatment (PVE+SC group, n = 11) and a group pretreated only with PVE (PVE group, n = 11). Functional and overall outcomes after extended right hepatectomy were evaluated. Patients without presurgical treatment served as controls (n = 18). RESULTS: In preconditioned patients, mean hepatic growth of segments II/III 14 days after PVE in the PVE+SC group was significantly higher (138.66 mL ± 66.29) when compared with that of PVE group patients (62.95 mL ± 40.03; P = 0.004). There were no significant differences among all 3 groups regarding general and oncological characteristics and functional parameters on postoperative day (POD) 7. Lack of hepatic preconditioning, extrahepatic extension of resection, and postoperative complications were of negative prognostic value, using univariate analysis (P < 0.05). In multivariate analysis, freedom from postoperative major complications (P = 0.012), coagulation status on POD 7 (international normalized ratio < 1.4; P = 0.027), and presurgical expansion of the future liver remnant volume (P = 0.048) were positively associated with overall survival. Post hoc analysis revealed a better survival for the PVE+SC group (P = 0.028) compared with the PVE group (P = 0.094) and compared with controls. CONCLUSION: Promising data from this survival analysis suggest that PVE, together with CD133+ BMSC pretreatment, could positively impact overall outcomes after extended right hepatectomy.

Esophageal cancer proliferation is mediated by cytochrome P450 2C9 (CYP2C9).

Cytochrome P450 epoxygenases (CYP450) have been recently shown to promote malignant progression. Here we investigated the mRNA and protein expression and potential clinical relevance of CYP2C9 in esophageal cancer. Highest expression was detected in esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC; n=78) and adjacent esophageal mucosa (NEM; n=79). Levels of CYP2C9 in EAC and NEM were significantly higher compared to esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC; n=105). Early tumor stages and well-differentiated tumors showed a significantly higher CYP2C9 expression compared to progressed tumors. Moreover, CYP2C9 expression was correlated to high Ki-67 labeling indices in EAC and Ki-67 positive tumor cells in EAC and ESCC. Selective inhibition of CYP2C9 decreased tumor cell proliferation (KYSE30, PT1590 and OE19) in vitro, which was abolished by 11,12-epoxyeicosatrienoic acid (11,12-EET). Cell-cycle analysis using FACS revealed that inhibition of CYP2C9 leads to a G0/G1 phase cell-cycle arrest. CYP2C9 seems to be relevant for early esophageal cancer development by promoting tumor cell proliferation. Pharmacological inhibition of CYP2C9 might contribute to a more efficient therapy in CYP2C9 highly expressing esophageal cancers.