Excessive visceral fat area as a risk factor for early postoperative complications of total gastrectomy for gastric cancer: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is a known risk factor for complications after digestive surgery. Body mass index (BMI) is commonly used as an index of obesity but does not always reflect the degree of obesity. Although some studies have shown that high visceral fat area (VFA) is associated with poor outcomes in digestive surgery, few have examined the relationship between VFA and total gastrectomy. In this study, we demonstrated that VFA is more useful than BMI in predicting complications after total gastrectomy. METHODS: Seventy-five patients who underwent total gastrectomy for gastric cancer were enrolled in this study; they were divided into two groups: a high-VFA group (n = 26, ≥100 cm(2)) and a low-VFA group (n = 49, <100 cm(2)). We retrospectively evaluated the preoperative characteristics and surgical outcomes of all patients and examined postoperative complications within 30 days of surgery (including cardiac complications, pneumonia, ileus, anastomotic leakage, pancreatic fistula, incisional surgical site infection [SSI], abdominal abscess, and hemorrhage). RESULTS: The incidence of anastomotic leakage (p = 0.03) and incisional SSI (p = 0.001) were higher in the high-VFA group than in the low-VFA group. No significant differences were observed in the other factors. We used univariate analysis to identify risk factors for anastomotic leakage and incisional SSI. Age and VFA were risk factors for anastomotic leakage, and BMI and VFA were risk factors for incisional SSI. A multivariate analysis including these factors found that only VFA was a predictor of anastomotic leakage (hazard ratio [HR] 4.62; 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.02-21.02; p = 0.048) and incisional SSI (HR 4.32; 95 % CI 1.18-15.80; p = 0.027]. CONCLUSIONS: High VFA is more useful than BMI in predicting anastomotic leakage and SSI after total gastrectomy. Therefore, we should consider the VFA value during surgery.

[Complete Response in Far-Advanced Esophageal Cancer Treated with Induction Chemotherapy Followed by Definitive Chemoradiotherapy].

We report a case of far-advanced esophageal cancer in which induction chemotherapy followed by chemoradiotherapy achieved complete remission. A 61-year-old female presented to our hospital with dyspnea and hoarseness. CT revealed a tumor at the cervical esophagus invading and narrowing the trachea, a bulky metastasis at the right paraesophageal node, and nodal metastases at levels II and III of the left neck. No finding indicated other distant metastases. According to findings of CT and endoscopy, she was diagnosed with unresectable cancer at the cervical esophagus(cT4bN1M1[LYM], according to UICC-TNM 7 th). After 2 courses of induction chemotherapy(DTX, CDDP, and 5-FU), the tumor's volume was remarkably reduced. Thereafter, chemoradiotherapy with CDDP, 5-FU, and 60 Gy/30 Fr was administered. After 7 months of systemic chemotherapy with paclitaxel following chemoradiotherapy, the patient was judged to have complete remission based on CT and endoscopic findings. After additional administration of S-1 for 5 months, systemic chemotherapy was ceased. The patient has survived without disease progression for 22 months following initiation of treatment. It is thought that induction chemotherapy followed by chemoradiotherapy might improve local control and survival of patients with far-advanced esophageal cancers, such as our patient.

A case study of pyloric stenosis caused by metastatic lobular carcinoma of breast.

Metastasis to the gastrointestinal tract is rare. A 59-year-old woman who had a history of an invasive lobular carcinoma of breast with clinical complete response visited our hospital and complained of an upper abdominal pain and distension. We performed an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy which showed only a gastric ulcer without any malignant findings. She experienced a recurrence of symptoms 2 months after this visit. An endoscopy revealed pyloric stenosis, which did not improve with balloon dilatation. We performed a gastro-jejunal and cecal-transverse colonic bypass surgery. Diffuse wall thickening of the antrum was verified during the surgery, and a biopsy sample was collected. The diagnosis of gastric metastasis from breast was confirmed since it showed the same immunohistochemistry pattern as the prior breast lesion. Pyloric stenosis has still been confirmed with an endoscopy, she has been alive with satisfactory oral food intake for >10 years.

HOXB9 expression promoting tumor cell proliferation and angiogenesis is associated with clinical outcomes in breast cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: Studies have suggested that HOXB9 expression in breast cancer cells promotes cellular invasiveness, metastatic ability, and tumor neovascularization in the surrounding tissue in in vitro and in vivo assays. These findings imply that HOXB9 overexpression may alter tumor-specific cell fates and the tumor stromal microenvironment, contributing to breast cancer progression. The objective of this study was to analyze whether these results could be applied to clinical practice. METHODS: A total of 141 consecutive, invasive ductal carcinoma patients who underwent surgical treatment were examined. Immunohistochemical staining was performed to evaluate the expression of HOXB9, Ki-67, CD31, and CD34, and the association of tumor proliferation and angiogenesis with HOXB9 expression was analyzed. RESULTS: Of the 141 tumor specimens immunostained for HOXB9, 69 (48.9%) stained positive. Larger primary tumor size, hormone receptor negativity, HER2 positivity, higher nuclear grade, and number of pathologic nodal metastases were significant variables associated with HOXB9 expression. Notably, 12 (92.3%) of 13 triple-negative breast cancer cases showed HOXB9 expression. Disease-free survival and overall survival were significantly different between the HOXB9-positive and HOXB9-negative groups (hazard ratio 20.714, P = 0.001; and hazard ratio 9.206, P = 0.003, respectively). Multivariate analysis indicated that HOXB9 expression was the only independent prognostic factor for disease-free survival (hazard ratio 15.532, P = 0.009). HOXB9-positive tumors showed a significant increase in the number of vasculature and the Ki-67 ratio compared with HOXB9-negative tumors. CONCLUSIONS: HOXB9 expression, which promotes tumor proliferation and angiogenesis, is a significant prognostic factor in breast cancer.

Correlation between clinical nodal status and sentinel lymph node biopsy false negative rate after neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is the standard treatment for locally advanced breast cancer. It is now being used to treat operable breast cancer to facilitate breast-conserving surgery, but the accuracy of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in breast cancer patients receiving NAC remains open to considerable debate. METHODS: We enrolled 96 patients with stage II-III breast cancer who received NAC from January 2001 to July 2010. All patients underwent breast surgery and SLNB, followed immediately by complete axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). Sentinel lymph nodes were detected with blue dye and radiocolloid injected intradermally just above the tumor and then evaluated with hematoxylin and eosin and immunohistochemical staining. RESULTS: The overall identification rate for SLNB was 87.5% (84/96); the false negative rate (FNR) was 24.5% (12/49); and the accuracy rate was 85.7% (72/84). The FNR was significantly lower in clinically node-negative patients than in node-positive patients before NAC (5.5% vs. 35.5%; p=0.001). Accuracy was also significantly higher in clinically node-negative patients than in node-positive patients before NAC (97.2% vs. 77.1%; p=0.009). The FNR was 27.3% among 46 clinically node-positive patients before NAC who were clinically node-negative after NAC. Among 12 patients with a complete tumor response (CR), the FNR was 0%, compared with 26.1% for 83 patients with a partial response and stable disease (p=0.404). CONCLUSIONS: Although associated with a high FNR after NAC, SLNB would have successfully replaced ALND in clinically node-negative patients before NAC and in patients with a CR after NAC.

Laparoscopic repair of diaphragmatic hernia associating with radiofrequency ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is an effective treatment for early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Although RFA is a relatively safe technique compared with surgery, several complications have been reported to be following/accompanying this treatment. Delayed diaphragmatic hernia caused by RFA is rare; however, the best surgical approach for its treatment is uncertain. We present a case of laparoscopic repair of diaphragmatic hernia due to RFA. CASE SUMMARY: An 80-year-old woman with segment VIII HCC was treated twice in 5 years with RFA; 28 mo after the second RFA, the patient complained of right hypochondriac pain. Computed tomography revealed that the small intestine was incarcerated in the right thorax. The patient was diagnosed with diaphragmatic hernia and underwent laparoscopic repair by non-absorbable running sutures. The patient's postoperative course was favorable, and the patient was discharged on postoperative day 12. The diaphragmatic hernia has not recurred 24 mo after surgery. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic treatment of iatrogenic diaphragmatic hernia is effective and minimally invasive.

[Current strategies of primary therapy for breast cancer].

Active clinical researches for breast cancer advance the therapeutic strategies remarkably, however, it seems to be more difficult to choose the appropriate treatment based on the evidence for each patient due to its diversification. Moreover, the striking achievements of various molecular targeting drugs established by basic researches make it complex, since the biological feature of tumor cell must be considered carefully for drug selection. To make it straight, the latest strategies for breast cancer treatment based on both basic and clinical evidences are summarized, especially about surgical and medical treatments of primary therapy for breast cancer.

Predictors to assess non-sentinel lymph node status in breast cancer patients with sentinel lymph node metastasis.

The next step of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in breast cancer is to determine which patients need axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) following a positive SLNB. A prospective database of 239 patients who underwent SLNB followed by complete ALND at Keio University Hospital from January 2001 to June 2005 was reviewed. A total of 131 patients with one or more positive sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) were further analyzed. A univariate analysis showed a significant correlation between non-SLN involvement and lymphatic invasion, vascular invasion, number of tumor-involved SLNs, radioactivity of SLNs, and size of SLN metastasis (p = 0.0002, p = 0.004, p = 0.006, p = 0.04, p = 0.03, respectively). By multivariate analysis, lymphatic invasion and the number of tumor-involved SLNs remained significant predictors of non-SLN involvement. In breast cancer patients with a positive SLN, lymphatic invasion and the number of tumor-involved SLNs were both independent predictors of non-SLN involvement.

Invasive Solid Papillary Carcinoma of the Nipple With Pagetoid Extension and Nodal Metastasis.

We report a case of invasive solid papillary carcinoma (SPC) of the nipple with Pagetoid extension to the skin and lymph node metastasis. SPC is an uncommon primary breast cancer accounting for less than 1% of all breast cancers. Only 2 cases occurring in the nipple have been reported. However, both cases were without Pagetoid extension or lymph node metastasis. The presently reported tumor consisted of irregularly shaped solid cell nests with delicate fibrovascular cores. The tumor cells had round nuclei with low-grade atypia and eosinophilic cytoplasm. Neuroendocrine differentiation was confirmed by immunohistochemical positivity for CD56, synaptophysin, and chromogranin A. Immunohistochemistry also confirmed the absence of myoepithelial cells around the tumor cell nests. Therefore, a diagnosis of invasive SPC was made. Additionally, tumor cell deposits in the intramammary and axillary lymph nodes were identified, and these deposits had the same histological characteristics as the invasive SPC of the nipple. The invasiveness of SPC can be difficult to determine. However, the tumor cell nests in the current case exhibited a retraction artifact, which is known to be associated with invasive carcinoma and a poor prognosis, as well as morphological patterns that have been previously identified as characteristic of invasive SPC. Although SPC is widely recognized as having a favorable outcome, the existence of exceptionally aggressive cases occurring in the nipple must be recognized. Additional cases of invasive SPC of the nipple are needed to analyze the clinicopathological correlation.

Perforation of abdominal esophagus following nasogastric feeding tube intubation: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Perforation of the abdominal esophagus caused by nasogastric tube (NGT) intubation has been rarely reported in adults. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 73-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with pneumonia. He had been bedridden long-term and had previously undergone a gastrectomy for gastric ulcer. Since admission was prolonged, and he required enteral feeding because of his inability to swallow, a NGT was inserted blindly. The next day, he had a high fever and abdominal pain. Abdominal computed tomography scan revealed that the tube was inserted through the wall of the abdominal esophagus into the abdominal cavity. In the emergency surgery, we sutured the perforated site of abdominal esophagus and patched it with lesser omentum. The postoperative course was good. DISCUSSION: Abdominal esophageal perforation due to NGT insertion is very rare. The cause of perforation was suggested to be an abnormal deformity created by adhesion due to previous distal gastrectomy and long-term bedridden status. A chest X-ray usually is performed to confirm the position of the NGT tube. In this case, a frontal radiographic view apparently showed the NGT placed in the stomach. CONCLUSION: When NGT is inserted to such patients, frontal and lateral radiographic views or fluoroscopic guidance should be obtained.

Duodenal rupture due to giant inguinal hernia: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Giant inguinal hernia is unusual, and duodenal rupture accompanying it is particularly very rare and significantly hard to manage surgically. PRESENTATION OF CASE: An 81-year-old man was admitted to our institution with upper abdominal pain. He had tenderness of the upper mid abdomen and a bilateral large inguinal hernia but he did not have pain in the inguinal-scrotal area. Computed tomography (CT) showed slight dilatation of the small bowel and stomach. There were no remarkable signs of incarceration of the inguinal hernia. Therefore, he was admitted to the internal ward. On the second day in hospital, he suddenly went into shock. CT revealed that there was free air and ascites in the inguinal hernia and therefore an emergency operation was performed. The tranverse colon, ascending colon, and ileum were incarcerated, and perfolation of the cecum was found. We also detected duodenal rupture at the inferior duodenal angle. We resected the terminal ileal (almost 90cm) and ileocecal area, followed by side-to-side anastomosis of duodenum and jejunum. We only repaired the peritoneum at the internal hernia ring. After the operation, despite intensive-care therapy, this patient passed away on the 18th postoperative day. DISCUSSION: The mesocolon and third portion of the duodenum were strongly pulled down into giant inguinal hernia, probably causing the rupture of the inferior duodenal angle. CONCLUSION: Giant inguinal hernia possibly provokes duodenal rupture and therefore should definitively be repaired if feasible.

Retroperitoneal Biloma due to Spontaneous Perforation of the Left Hepatic Duct.

BACKGROUND: Spontaneous perforation of the bile duct in adults is very rare, particularly in cases accompanied by retroperitoneal biloma. We report a patient with retroperitoneal biloma due to a spontaneous perforation of the left hepatic duct. CASE REPORT: An 82-year-old man was admitted to our institution with abdominal pain and a high fever. He had tenderness at the epi-mesogastrium. Computed tomography showed several stones in the gall bladder and common bile duct (CBD) and a few ascites. A substantial amount of fluid had collected from the dorsal stratum of the duodenum and pancreas head to the right paracolic gutter and anterior side of the right iliopsoas. Laboratory examination revealed a high inflammation score. He underwent emergent laparotomy. Biliary fluid was revealed after the mobilization of the pancreas head, duodenum, and right side of the colon. Bile duct perforation was suspected. Therefore, we exfoliated the dorsal side of the CBD to the cranial side, and intraoperative cholangiography was performed. However, the perforation site could not be detected. Cholecystectomy and choledocholithotomy were performed. A retrograde transhepatic biliary drainage tube was inserted, and primary closure of the CBD incision site was achieved. Postoperative cholangiography revealed leakage from the left hepatic duct near the caudate branch. CONCLUSIONS: There are a few reports of spontaneous bile duct perforation cases in the literature, particularly on infants or children with congenital anomalies, but it is rare in adults. It usually causes bile peritonitis, although bile duct perforation should be considered in the differential diagnosis of spontaneous retroperitoneal fluid collection in adults.

Gastric cancer recognized by metastasis to the ureter.

Although ureteral obstruction is rarely noted in patients with gastric cancer at an advanced stage or at autopsy, the condition caused by authentic ureteral metastasis of gastric cancer is extremely rare. We experienced a case of gastric cancer in a 51-year-old woman who showed bilateral ureteral metastasis. The patient initially complained of right flank pain, caused by right ureteral obstruction, and was referred to our hospital, where she underwent a right nephroureterectomy, with suspicion of primary ureteral neoplasm. Histopathological examination of the resected specimen showed that metastatic growth of adenocarcinoma in the ureteral wall had caused the obstruction, and the subsequent extensive search for the primary lesion revealed asymptomatic gastric cancer. Soon after the nephroureterectomy, the patient developed left hydronephrosis, possibly caused by left ureteral metastasis, and a left percutaneous nephrostomy was performed. She then received chemotherapeutic reagents. However, she finally developed peritoneal carcinomatosis, and died of the disease about 1 year after the onset of the disease. In this report, we also review true ureteral metastasis from the stomach, and discuss the clinicopathologic features.

New transhepatic biliary drainage procedures for safe intubation and early extubation.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The conventional transhepatic biliary drainage method requires a long period of tube placement and a technically difficult intubation. METHODOLOGY: New transhepatic biliary drainage methods were applied in cases undergoing an open choledochotomy. The drainage tube was placed transhepatically using a newly developed, rigid and J-shaped needle (J-Needle) with a vertical, ventral and rotating penetration at the proximal hepatic duct. The tube was then introduced directly to the extraperitoneal space by attaching the parietal peritoneum to the liver surface without tube-fixation (extraperitoneal transhepatic tube method). RESULTS: These procedures were applied in 50 patients. The J-Needle was easily and safely inserted without any complications. In the 39 analyzed cases, the patients were safely extubated on postoperative day 7 and discharged around postoperative day 10. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of the J-Needle and the extraperitoneal transhepatic tube method is useful for safe transhepatic biliary intubation and early extubation, enabling a shorter hospital stay for patients requiring biliary surgery.

Prevention of mammary carcinogenesis in C3H/OuJ mice by green tea and tamoxifen.

BACKGROUND: Tamoxifen (TAM) is useful in the chemoprevention of breast cancer, and green tea catechins, including (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), may have similar actions. In this study, we investigated their effects, alone or in combination, on mammary carcinogenesis using breast cancer cells and preneoplastic lesions inC3H/OuJ mice. METHODS: Growth inhibitory effects of EGCG and TAM on MCF-7 cells were evaluated with the anchorage-independent colony forming assay. The effects on mammary tumor carcinogenesis and preneoplastic lesions were assessed in vivo using animals treated with GTE in drinking water (1%, 0.1%), or a tamoxifen pellet (10 mg/ animal, subcutaneously inoculated) or both agents in combination (1%GTE + 10 mg TAM). The number and size of mammary tumors were measured weekly during treatment. At 48 weeks of age, mice were sacrificed for the examination of hyperplastic alveolar nodules (HAN) and argyrophilic nucleolar organizer regions (AgNOR). RESULTS: In the anchorage-independent growth assay, EGCG and TAM exhibited dose-dependent antiproliferative effects on MCF-7 cells. In the tumor formation assay, tumor incidences were decreased in the GTE, TAM, and GTE+TAM groups, particularly in the latter, in which no tumors developed. AgNOR counts were also significantly lower in the 1%GTE+TAM compared with the 1%GTE group, suggesting an additional anticarcinogenic effect. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that GTE and TAM, individually and in combination, have potential for chemoprevention of breast cancer.

Primary systemic chemotherapy of breast cancer: indication and predictive factors.

Primary systemic chemotherapy has become a standard of care for operable breast cancer patients who are candidates for adjuvant chemotherapy. Induction of pathological complete response (pCR) is one of the main goals of primary systemic chemotherapy because patients with pCR have shown a better prognosis. The definition of pCR has varied across clinical trials. It would be ideal for all researchers to use the same terminology in describing pathologic response. Identification of accurate predictive factors of pCR to primary systemic chemotherapy is urgent, because patients with a low chance of pCR and clinical response should be spared unnecessary toxicity. Early response to primary systemic chemotherapy might be correlated with a high probability of a pCR. Therefore, evaluation of early response is useful to avoid unnecessary toxicity without potential benefit from chemotherapy.