Isolated caudate lobectomy using a modified hanging maneuver.

BACKGROUND: The caudate lobe is located deep in the dorsal portion of the liver. Complete resection is an extremely demanding surgery due to the limited surgical field, especially in cases with severe intra-abdominal complications. A major concern of isolated caudate lobectomy is the difficulty associated with securing the contralateral visual field during parenchymal transection. To overcome this issue, we present a new technique for isolated caudate lobectomy that uses a modified hanging maneuver. METHODS: We performed an anatomical isolated caudate lobectomy via the high dorsal resection technique using our new modified hanging maneuver in two patients with HCC in November and December 2019. RESULTS: Patient 1 was severely obese, so the upper abdominal cavity was occupied by a large amount of great omental fat, and fibrous adhesions were observed around the spleen. Patient 2 had undergone six preoperative treatments, and a high degree of adhesion was observed in the abdominal cavity around the liver. It was difficult to secure the surgical field due to severe abdominal complications in both cases. The total operation times in these two cases were 617 and 763 min, respectively, while the liver parenchymal dissection times of the caudate lobe were 96 and 108 min, respectively. The resection margin was negative in both patients (R0). Neither patient had any complications after surgery; both were discharged on postoperative day 14. CONCLUSION: Our modified hanging maneuver is useful, particularly in cases with a narrow surgical field due to severe adhesions, bulky tumors, and/or hypertrophy of the Spiegel lobe.

[A Case of Laparoscopic Surgery Performed for Lynch Syndrome in a Patient Who Developed Cecal Cancer and Uterine Carcinosarcoma Synchronously].

A 51-year-old woman was referred to our hospitalfor treatment of endometrialcancer. She had 3 family members with colorectal cancer in the first degree. She was also diagnosed with advanced cecal cancer based on a preoperative examination. She underwent laparoscopic surgery, modified radical hysterectomy, and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy for endometrial cancer, and ileocecal resection for cecal cancer simultaneously. Pathological examination of the uterine tumor revealed carcinosarcoma with carcinomatous and sarcomatous components. Since she fulfilled 4 of the revised Bethesda criteria, we suspected Lynch syndrome. Immunohistochemical analysis of mismatch repair proteins demonstrated the loss of MSH2/MSH6 expression in both cecalcancer and uterine carcinosarcoma tissues. Genetic testing by direct sequencing revealed a pathogenic germ line mutation of MSH2 in codon 2245 of exon 14, and she was definitively diagnosed with Lynch syndrome. Laparoscopic surgery is less invasive and would be useful for Lynch syndrome patients potentially requiring multiple surgeries or risk- reduction surgery.

A case of metachronous oligo-hepatic and peritoneal metastases of pancreatic cancer with a favorable outcome after conversion surgery combined with perioperative sequential chemotherapy.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most aggressive malignancies, and the prognosis for its recurrence after surgery is very poor. Here, we report a case of metachronous oligo-hepatic and peritoneal metastases in a patient who survived without recurrence for 3 years after conversion surgery combined with perioperative sequential chemotherapy using gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel (GnP) and modified FOLFIRINOX (mFOLFIRINOX). The patient was a 70-year-old man with pancreatic ductal carcinoma, classified as cT3N0M0, cStage IIA, who underwent a distal pancreatosplenectomy. At 1 year and 4 months later, two liver metastases and one peritoneal metastasis were detected. A systemic 9-month course of chemotherapy was administered with GnP and mFOLFIRINOX as the first- and second-line chemotherapeutic agents, respectively. The two liver metastases were judged as showing a partial response, but one dissemination was considered stable disease. After receiving informed consent from the patient, we performed resection of the disseminated tumor and lateral segmentectomy of the liver. Adjuvant chemotherapy using mFOLFIRINOX and GnP was administered for 10 months. The patient has now been alive for 5 years and 6 months after the initial pancreatosplenectomy, and 3 years and 3 months after the conversion surgery, without subsequent tumor recurrence. Thus, a multidisciplinary treatment approach including surgery and perioperative sequential chemotherapy using GnP and mFOLFIRINOX may be beneficial for treating metachronous oligo-hepatic and peritoneal metastases, depending on the patient's condition.

Comparison of Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin/4E-binding protein 1 pathway signal activation in round stromal and surface cells in patients with sclerosing pneumocytoma.

Sclerosing pneumocytoma (SP) is a rare benign epithelial tumor of the lung, and approximately 40 % of patients with SP present with AKT1 E17K mutation. SP cells comprise proliferated surface and round stromal cells. To elucidate the role of signal transductions and to identify the difference between surface and stromal cells, the current study aimed to investigate the activation of the Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)/4E-binding protein 1 signaling pathway in SP. METHODS: The molecular and pathological characteristics of SP in 12 patients were analyzed. AKT1 gene analysis revealed AKT1 E17K mutation in four cases. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that tumor cells were cytoplasmic positive for pAkt, pmTOR, p4EBP1, and pS6RP. The surface cells had a significantly higher expression of pmTOR (p = 0.002) and a significantly lower expression of p4EBP1 (p = 0.017) than stromal cells. SP without AKT1 E17K mutation had a higher positive correlation with pacts, p4EBP1, pmTOR, and pS6RP expression than SP with AKT1 E17K mutation. These findings may be attributed to the aberrant activation of the Akt/mTOR pathway due to AKT1 E17K mutations. Hence, both surface and round stromal cells have tumorigenic characteristics, and differences in these characteristics may contribute to variations in tumor growth and the morphology and angiogenesis of SP.

Clinical significance of the expression of FOXP3 and TIGIT in Merkel cell carcinoma.

The pathogenesis of 80% of Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) cases is associated with Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV). Forkhead helix transcription factor P3 (FOXP3) and the T cell immunoreceptor with immunoglobulin and immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibition motif domains (TIGIT)-CD155 pathway, which are targets for immunotherapy, were assessed as prognostic factors of MCC. We analyzed mRNA expression data of 111 patients with MCC and performed immunohistochemical analysis to detect the expression of programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1), CD8, FOXP3, TIGIT, and CD155 in 65 cases of MCC. In CD8 and FOXP3 immunostaining, the number of expressing-infiltrating cells was determined by dividing the region into tumor center and invasive front areas. FOXP3 expression was evaluated separately in cells with high and low intensities. Aberrant TIGIT expression and weak CD155 staining were observed in MCC cells. CD8- and FOXP3-positive cell infiltrations were higher in the invasive front than in the tumor center. Multivariate Cox hazard analysis revealed that high infiltration of cells with low-intensity FOXP3 expression in the invasive front is a favorable prognostic factor (p = 0.025). Thus, targeting TIGIT-CD155 signaling and FOXP3 as well as PD-L1 may be a therapeutic strategy for MCC.

A case of granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor-producing gallbladder cancer with lymph node metastasis together with a literature review.

The granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) glycoprotein stimulates precursor cell proliferation and differentiation in the bone marrow. Various G-CSF-producing tumors have been reported; they showed early progression and an extremely poor prognosis. Here, we report a case of G-CSF-producing gallbladder cancer with lymph node metastasis. In addition, we reviewed 30 previous case reports of G-CSF-producing gallbladder cancers to elucidate the characteristics and most appropriate treatment. During a routine visit to her local doctor for monitoring of diabetes and hypertension, a 68-year-old female was found to have an elevated white-blood-cell (WBC) count and C-reactive protein (CRP) level, and a gallbladder mass. Laboratory tests revealed a high serum G-CSF level, and imaging revealed a tumor of the gallbladder with regional lymphadenopathy. We diagnosed a G-CSF-producing gallbladder cancer and performed liver resection of segment IVa/V: regional lymph node dissection with extrahepatic bile duct resection. Pathologically, the tumor was a poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma. G-CSF immunostaining for tumor cells was positive. She is alive without recurrence at 16 months after surgery. If a patient exhibits a gallbladder tumor, with an elevated WBC count and CRP level but no symptoms of infection, a G-CSF-producing gallbladder cancer should be suspected; radical resection should be performed immediately after diagnosis.