[A Case of Gastric Schwannoma Diagnosed Preoperatively].

The patient was a 52-year-old woman, who was found to have an abnormality in the upper gastrointestinal(UGI)tract, via a contrast-imaging study; she had no symptoms.Computed tomography(CT)revealed a tumor, measuring approximately 100mm in diameter, in the antrum of the stomach.The tumor was diagnosed as gastric schwannoma using endoscopic ultrasonography-guided fine-needle aspiration(EUS-FNA).Preoperative CT revealed multiple lymph adenopathies around the antrum, which led to the suspicion of lymph node metastasis. The patient underwent a laparoscopic partial gastrectomy after the confirmation of the absence of lymph node metastasis by intraoperative rapid diagnosis.

Haloperidol prophylaxis for preventing aggravation of postoperative delirium in elderly patients: a randomized, open-label prospective trial.

PURPOSES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the early administration haloperidol in preventing the aggravation of postoperative delirium in elderly patients. METHODS: A total of 201 patients (age ≥75 years) who underwent elective surgery were enrolled. The patients were divided into two groups: the intervention group (n = 101) received prophylactic haloperidol (5 mg); the control group (n = 100) did not. Haloperidol was administered daily during postoperative days 0-5 to the patients who presented with NEECHAM scores of 20-24 when measured at 18:00. The primary endpoint was the incidence of severe postoperative delirium. RESULTS: The incidence of severe postoperative delirium in all patients was 25.1%. The incidence of severe postoperative delirium in the intervention group (18.2%) was significantly lower than that in the control group (32.0%) (p = 0.02). The difference between the two groups was larger when the analysis was limited to the 70 patients who had NEECHAM scores of 20-24 for at least one day during postoperative days 0-5. No adverse effects of the haloperidol were observed. CONCLUSION: The prophylactic administration of haloperidol at the early stage of delirium significantly reduced the incidence of severe postoperative delirium in elderly patients. Clinical Trial Registration UMIN000007204.

Haloperidol prophylaxis does not prevent postoperative delirium in elderly patients: a randomized, open-label prospective trial.

PURPOSE: Postoperative delirium is the most common postoperative complication in the elderly. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the preventive administration of low-dose haloperidol on the development of postoperative delirium after abdominal or orthopedic surgery in elderly patients. SUBJECTS: A total of 119 patients aged 75 years or older who underwent elective surgery for digestive or orthopedic disease were included in this study. METHODS: Patients were divided into those who did (intervention group, n = 59) and did not (control group, n = 60) receive 2.5 mg of haloperidol at 18:00 daily for 3 days after surgery; a randomized, open-label prospective study was performed on these groups. The primary endpoint was the incidence of postoperative delirium during the first 7 days after the operation. RESULTS: The incidence of postoperative delirium in all patients was 37.8%. No side effects involving haloperidol were noted; however, the incidences of postoperative delirium were 42.4 and 33.3% in the intervention and control groups, respectively, which were not significantly different (p = 0.309). No significant effect of the treatment was observed on the severity or persistence of postoperative delirium. CONCLUSIONS: The preventive administration of low-dose haloperidol did not induce any adverse events, but also did not significantly decrease the incidence or severity of postoperative delirium or shorten its persistence.

Frequent microsatellite instability in papillary and solid-type, poorly differentiated adenocarcinomas of the stomach.

BACKGROUND: Microsatellite instability (MSI) has been observed in 8-39 % of sporadic gastric cancers. However, despite numerous reports indicating a significant relationship between intestinal-type histology and MSI, detailed correlation between histological subtypes and MSI remains obscure. The purpose of the present study is to clarify the relationship between histological subtype and microsatellite status in gastric carcinomas. METHODS: Microsatellite status was examined for 464 consecutive gastric carcinomas from 420 patients as well as histological subtypes and other clinicopathological findings. RESULTS: MSI was observed in 82 carcinomas (17.7 %), and the greatest proportions were observed in solid-type, poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma (43.0 %) and papillary adenocarcinoma (32.5 %), both being significantly higher than those of other subtypes. The proportion increased with advancing age (0 % at 51-64 years, 8.5 % at 65-74 years, 18.4 % at 75-84 years, 35.3 % at 85-96 years). Compared with microsatellite-stable carcinomas, microsatellite-unstable carcinomas were significantly related with older age, female gender, antral location, and predominant papillary adenocarcinoma and solid-type, poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. Poorly differentiated type carcinoma was significantly less frequent than differentiated type in microsatellite-unstable cancer at the early stage, whereas no significant difference existed at the advanced stage. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that there are specific histological subtypes with highly frequent MSI and that gastric carcinoma with MSI originates from differentiated-type carcinomas, indicating histological diversity during tumor growth.

Postoperative function following radical surgery in gastric and colorectal cancer patients over 80 years of age--an objection to "ageism".

PURPOSE: With rapid growth in the elderly population, the number of elderly cancer patients who should be offered life-prolonging radical surgery has been increasing. The aim of this report is to demonstrate the outcome of elective radical surgery for gastric or colorectal cancer patients 80 years of age or older, including the natural course of recovery of functional independence, in order to avoid the negative attitude held toward surgery that is due only to patients' high chronological age. METHODS: Physical condition, ADL, and QOL of 108 patients 80 years of age or older with gastric or colorectal cancer were evaluated preoperatively and at the 1st, 3rd, and 6th postoperative months. RESULTS: There were no operative deaths, and the morbidity rate was 27.9%. Only 6% of the patients showed a decrease in ADL at the 6th postoperative month. This decrease typically occurred following discharge from the hospital. Patient QOL showed recovery to an extent equal to or better than average preoperative scores. CONCLUSIONS: Of the patients who underwent elective surgery for gastric or colorectal cancer, only a few showed a protracted decline in ADL, and most exhibited better QOL after surgery. Surgical treatment should therefore be considered, whenever needed, for elderly patients 80 years of age or older with gastric or colorectal cancer.

Assessment of the risk of postoperative delirium in elderly patients using E-PASS and the NEECHAM Confusion Scale.

BACKGROUND: The incidences of surgery-field disorders such as femur neck fracture and colorectal cancer in elderly persons have increased with the rapid aging of society. In such patients, postoperative delirium is also frequent. Patients should be generally assessed from the aspect of both physical and mental conditions in order to predict a high-delirium risk group. If so, delirium may be prevented more efficiently. In this study, we investigated whether the early detection of postoperative delirium in elderly patients is possible using a simple, useful behavior-assessing scale, the NEECHAM Confusion Scale, and a method for comprehensively evaluating elderly persons' stress related to surgery, E-PASS. METHODS: The subjects were 160 patients aged more than 75 years who underwent surgery. Among them, three patients had vascular surgery-field disorders, 67 had orthopedic-field disorders, and 90 had digestive surgery-field disorders. To comprehensively evaluate surgery-related stress, E-PASS was employed. In addition, we assessed recognition, activities of daily living (ADL), and the quality of life (QOL). For delirium diagnosis and severity assessment, we used the NEECHAM Confusion Scale. The cut-off value of the NEECHAM score was established as 20 points, and patients showing values less than this after surgery were regarded as having postoperative delirium. Evaluation was performed until 10 days after surgery. RESULTS: Postoperative delirium was noted in 54.7% of the subjects. There was a decrease in the NEECHAM score between the first and fourth postoperative days, but it gradually increased thereafter. Both uni- and multivariate analyses showed that postoperative delirium was associated with an advanced age (more than 80 years), low preoperative NEECHAM and MMSE scores, the preoperative QOL, and E-PASS. In groups showing an MMSE score of less than 25 or a preoperative NEECHAM score of less than 27, the incidence of postoperative delirium was 76%. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that E-PASS and the NEECHAM score facilitate assessment of the risk of postoperative delirium in elderly patients, contributing to early prevention/treatment.

Intermittent claudication caused by small aorta syndrome: a case report and review of literature.

Aortoiliac arterial steno-occlusions in young or middle-aged patients are relatively rare and have been reported in the literature as small aorta syndrome (SAS) or hypoplastic aortoiliac syndrome. We report the case of a 48-year-old Japanese woman with intermittent claudication caused by SAS. We performed left iliofemoral bypass grafting with a Dacron graft via a retroperitoneal approach. Bypass grafts, endarterectomy, and sympathectomy have been used for surgical management. Given that post-procedural event rates are higher for SAS than for other common atherosclerotic diseases, patients with SAS should be closely followed up after surgery.

Microsatellite-unstable mucinous colorectal carcinoma occurring in the elderly: comparison with medullary type poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma.

Mucinous carcinoma and poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma of the large intestine have a high frequency of microsatellite instability, and their occurrence increases gradually with age. To elucidate the clinicopathological and immunohistochemical features of microsatellite-unstable mucinous carcinoma and compare the tumor with medullary type poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, the clinicopathological status and expression of mucin core and hMLH1 proteins were studied in 15 microsatellite-unstable and 20 microsatellite-stable mucinous colorectal carcinomas occurring in elderly patients, and compared with 23 cases of medullary type poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma in which 21 cases were microsatellite-unstable. Thirteen (87%) of 15 microsatellite-unstable carcinomas exhibited absent hMLH1 expression compared with three (15%) of 20 microsatellite-stable carcinomas (P < 0.01). The proportion (87%) of positive MUC5AC expression in microsatellite-unstable mucinous carcinoma was significantly higher than that (45%) in microsatellite-stable mucinous carcinoma (P = 0.01). Compared with microsatellite-stable mucinous carcinoma, microsatellite-unstable mucinous carcinomas were significantly associated with a proximal location, intra- and peritumoral inflammatory cell infiltration, frequent MUC5AC expression, a low incidence of lymph node metastasis and absent hMLH1 protein expression, which is not different to medullary type poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma except for MUC2 expression and age-related occurrence. These results suggest that microsatellite-unstable mucinous carcinoma occurring in the elderly shares clinicopathological and molecular features with medullary type poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma and that microsatellite instability with absent hMLH1 expression plays an important role in the development of these two carcinomas.

Activities of daily living and quality of life of elderly patients after elective surgery for gastric and colorectal cancers.

OBJECTIVE: To establish reliable standards for surgical application to elderly patients 75 years old or older with gastric or colorectal cancer with special reference to the postoperative recovery of activities of daily living (ADL) and quality of life (QOL). SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: ADL and QOL are important outcomes of surgery for the elderly. However, there has been only limited evidence on the natural course of recovery of functional independence. METHODS: Two hundred twenty-three patients 75 years old or older with gastric or colorectal cancer were prospectively examined. Physical conditions, ADL, and QOL were evaluated preoperatively and at the first, third, and sixth postoperative month. RESULTS: The mortality and morbidity rates were 0.4% and 28%, respectively. Twenty-four percent of patients showed a decrease in ADL at 1 month postoperatively, but most patients recovered from this transient reduction, with only 3% showing a decline at the sixth postoperative month (6POM). ADL of these patients was likely to decrease after discharge from the hospital. QOL of the patients showed a recovery to an extent equal to or better than their average preoperative scores. CONCLUSIONS: Of the patients 75 years old or older who underwent elective surgery for gastric or colorectal cancer, only a few showed a protracted decline in ADL and most exhibited better QOL after surgery. This indicates that surgical treatment should be considered, whenever needed, for elderly patients 75 years old or older with gastric or colorectal cancer. Estimation of Physical Ability and Surgical Stress is useful for predicting postoperative declines in ADL and protracted disability; this could aid in establishing a directed rehabilitation program for preventing protracted disability in elderly patients.

Mucinous cystadenocarcinoma of the breast: a case report and review of the literature.

We report a case of mucinous cystadenocarcinoma (MCA) of the breast in a 96-year-old woman. This is an extremely rare variant of primary breast carcinoma that bears a striking resemblance to MCAs of the ovary and pancreas. The macroscopic appearance and secretion pattern (cytologic findings) resembled cystic hypersecretory carcinoma. However, microscopically, the epithelial cells were quite different from those of cystic hypersecretory carcinoma. In the present study as well as in the literature, MCAs tend to occur more frequently in elderly women. Immunohistochemical findings suggest that they may develop independently of estrogenic stimulation. Although MCAs show high proliferative activity, the prognosis was favorable in the present case as well as in the reported cases. Because MCAs appear to have a distinct pathogenesis and biologic behavior, they should be distinguished from ordinary mucinous carcinomas, cystic hypersecretory carcinomas, and carcinomas of other histologic subtypes.

Pathologic characteristics of gastric cancer in the elderly: a retrospective study of 994 surgical patients.

BACKGROUND: The clinicopathologic features of gastric carcinoma in elderly people have been reported previously. The present study examined the patterns and distribution of gastric carcinomas in the elderly, especially in patients aged 85 and older. METHODS: A retrospective study of 994 consecutive Japanese patients aged 65 years or older was performed. In this group, a total of 1,147 lesions were analyzed. Pathological findings in the very old group (older than 85 years; n = 126) were compared with those in younger groups (65-74 years [young-old group]; n = 356) and (75-84 years [middle-old group]; n = 512). RESULTS: While the male-to-female ratio significantly decreased with advancing age, the relative odds of gastric cancer in men were higher than those in women in all age groups. In the very old group, cancer of the lower third of the stomach tended to increase with advancing age, and accounted for 43.7% of cases. In the population overall, differentiated-type adenocarcinoma accounted for 89.6% in the early cancers and 50.3% in the advanced cancers. The proportion of cases involving differentiated-type carcinoma significantly increased with advancing age in early cancer and female advanced cancer cases, whereas no significant change was found in male advanced-cancer patients. In the very old group, lymph node metastasis was found in 5.4% of early cancers and 72.7% in advanced cancers. Multiple cancers significantly increased with advancing age ( P < 0.05; 10.7% in the younger-old group, 12.7% in the middle-old group, and 19.0% in the very old group). CONCLUSION: These results indicate that, in the very old group, gastric cancers showed a distal shift with predominantly differentiated-type carcinoma in the early stages and increased undifferentiated-type carcinomas in advanced stages. These results suggest increased histologic diversity with tumor growth. These findings have important implications for the screening and diagnosis of gastric cancer in the elderly.