Preoperative CA19-9 is a prognostic factor in pT3N0 gastric cancer patients undergoing curative resection.

BACKGROUND: The standard treatment for pT3N0 gastric cancer (GC) in Japanese guidelines is radical surgery without adjuvant chemotherapy. However, certain percentages of these patients develop recurrences; therefore, detecting the high-risk subgroup of recurrence may contribute to improve patient's outcome by adjuvant chemotherapy. In this study, we aimed to identify a predictive indicator of poor prognosis in pT3N0 GC. METHODS: Eighty-one patients who were diagnosed as pT3N0 GC after curative surgical resection and had not received adjuvant chemotherapy were included. The clinicopathological factors and laboratory parameters were evaluated by univariate and multivariate analyses to identify prognostic factors of tumor recurrence. Survival analysis was performed by Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: Male (P = 0.027), a high body mass index (BMI) (P = 0.031), a high CA19-9 value (P = 0.025), and a lower number of retrieved lymph nodes (P = 0.018) were found to be significantly associated with a shorter recurrence free survival (RFS). In a multivariate analysis, high CA19-9 value (> 37 U/ml) [(hazard ratio (HR): 3.326; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.044 to 10.596; P = 0.042] was found to be an independent predictor of RFS. CONCLUSION: The preoperative high CA19-9 value is considered a useful prognostic marker for predicting cancer recurrence after curative surgery in pT3N0 GC patients. For those patients, adjuvant chemotherapy might be considered to improve the survival outcome.

Asymptomatic hepatic pseudoaneurysm identified 25 days after knife injury: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Hepatic pseudoaneurysm (HPA) is a rare complication that can occur after liver trauma and carries a high risk of rupture. HPA is usually asymptomatic until rupture, so performing routine surveillance of liver trauma patients is important. Most posttraumatic HPA occurs within the first week after injury, so surveillance imaging ~ 7 days postinjury is suggested. CASE PRESENTATION: We herein report a 47-year-old man who was diagnosed with asymptomatic HPA 25 days after a knife injury. The patient was transferred to the emergency room after attempting suicide by stabbing himself in his abdomen with a knife. The knife was surgically removed, and the postoperative course was uneventful. Computed tomography (CT) on postoperative day (POD) 12 showed no HPA. However, follow-up CT on POD 25 revealed HPA. The HPA was treated with coil embolization. The patient was discharged with no complications. One year after the injury, the patient had no recurrence or medical problems. CONCLUSION: When managing patients with penetrating liver trauma, it is important to note that HPA may not be identifiable on CT early after injury but may still develop later.

A patient with colitis-associated cancer who developed clinically manifest Crohn's disease only after surgery.

BACKGROUND: Patients with prolonged inflammatory bowel disease have a greater risk of colorectal cancer, known as colitis-associated cancer. Here we describe an unusual case of colitis-associated cancer. CASE PRESENTATION: The subject is a 41-year-old male who has not presented digestive symptoms and has an appreciable medical history. He consulted a nearby doctor with left flank pain. A colonoscopy revealed a lateral spreading tumor (granular-type) in his descending colon. With a clinical diagnosis of cancer, D3 left hemicolectomy was performed and a small intestine stoma was constructed. The pathological diagnosis of the tumor was mucinous adenocarcinoma, pT4a(SE), pN2a, which was associated with dysplasia in the surface area. Post-operative ileus was prolonged and the endoscopic examination revealed longitudinal ulcers in the ileum. These ulcers responded quite well to the administration of infliximab, confirming the final diagnosis of Crohn's disease. Pathological re-examination revealed that the tumor was dysplasia-associated type, and another dysplasia was confirmed near the tumor. Furthermore, mural scars and sporadic lymphoid aggregates were noted in the colon tissues, which suggested pre-existing Crohn's disease. The patient died of peritoneal dissemination of cancer on day 207 after surgery. CONCLUSION: The present case was diagnosed as colitis-associated cancer with clinically latent Crohn's disease, who developed clinically manifest Crohn's disease only after surgery. Our review of literature revealed no cases comparable to ours.

Detection of circulating superantigens in an intensive care unit population.

OBJECTIVE: Plasma concentrations of superantigens were measured in an intensive care unit (ICU) population and the relationship of superantigen positive rates with the presence of sepsis was investigated. METHODS: Plasma samples were collected at least twice a week from 78 patients whose primary diagnoses were abdominal disorders (n = 27), respiratory disorders (n = 11), trauma (n = 10), burns (n = 10), cardiovascular disorders (n = 4), neurological disorders (n = 2), and others (n = 14). Five different species of superantigens, i.e., staphylococcal enterotoxins A, B, and C (SEA, SEB, and SEC), toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1), and streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin A (SPEA), were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: Significant levels of plasma superantigens were detected in 16 patients. SEA was found in seven patients, SEB in four patients, SEC in two patients, TSST-1 in six patients, and SPEA in five patients. Superantigen detection rates were 6% (1/17) in patients without systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), 0% (0/21) in SIRS patients without infection, 31% (5/16) in septic patients without shock, and 42% (10/24) in septic shock patients. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of superantigens was confirmed in part of the ICU population. The role of superantigens in the pathogenesis of sepsis remains to be determined.