[A Case of Pancreatic Cancer That Was Radically Resected after Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy, but Recurred Early and Followed a Rapid Course].

A 71-year-old man presented to our hospital with abdominal pain. He was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer. Peritoneal washing cytology(CY)was positive, and laparotomy findings revealed severe inflammatory changes of pancreatitis, suggesting a high likelihood of the need for combined resection of other organs. Therefore, following the exploratory laparotomy, mFOLFIRINOX was initiated as chemotherapy. After 24 courses of mFOLFIRINOX, he developed drug-induced pneumonia. Therefore, chemotherapy was interrupted, and a steroid was started. Radiotherapy was administered during steroid tapering. There was no evidence of local progression or distant metastasis. A radical resection that included pancreaticoduodenectomy and right hemicolectomy was performed 23 months after the exploratory laparotomy. CY was negative and R0 resection was achieved. However, 5 months after the operation, he developed liver abscesses and cholangitis and was suspected to have liver metastasis. He underwent PTAD and PTCD, but died due to liver failure 8 months postoperatively. The early recurrence of this case might have been caused by the lack of postoperative chemotherapy due to his frailty. Surgical indications should be carefully judged if there is a high risk of recurrence after NAC and a high possibility that ACT cannot be performed after radical surgery.

[Ischemic Colitis after Closure of Temporary Ileostomy for Low Anterior Resection of Rectal Cancer in a Dialysis Patient-A Case Report].

Dialysis patients are at increased risk of ischemic colitis and are likely to develop irreversible ischemic colitis. We report a rare case of ischemic colitis after the closure of a temporary ileostomy for low anterior resection(LAR)of rectal cancer in a dialysis patient. A 77-year-old man undergoing maintenance dialysis was diagnosed as having colorectal cancer with a type 2 tumor at the anastomosis site of high anterior resection performed for sigmoid colon cancer 14 years ago. After undergoing excision which included the anastomosis site of the previous operation, LAR with anastomosis in the transverse colon and rectum and temporary ileostomy were performed. Seven months later, closure of the temporary ileostomy was performed, which resulted in ileus and septic shock. Computed tomography(CT)revealed inflammation in the colon on the oral side of the anastomosis, which was diagnosed as ischemic colitis. Ischemic colitis did not improve with conservative treatment, and fever reoccurred at each maintenance dialysis session. Therefore, ileostomy was performed again, but multiple organ failure due to disseminated intravascular coagulopathy(DIC)progressed and he died. It is considered that Hartmann's operation should be selected for dialysis patients with serious underlying diseases, and if ischemic colitis is observed after closure of the stoma temporary colostomy in such patients, the lesion site of ischemic colitis should be excised promptly and colostomy should be performed again.

Per-oral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) for a sigmoid type of achalasia: short-term outcomes and changes in the esophageal angle.

BACKGROUND: Per-oral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) is an endoscopic procedure whereby the esophageal muscle is incised in order to lower the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) pressure. Since the time it was first performed in 2008 and subsequently reported on in 2010 by Inoue et al., POEM has been shown to be safe and effective for straight type of achalasia. On the other hand, the efficacy of POEM had been controversial for patients with achalasia of the sigmoid type, in which a high LES pressure is accompanied by morphological changes, including dilation, acute angulation, and rotation. The aim of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of POEM in patients with sigmoid type of achalasia. METHODS: Between May 2015 and December 2017, 16 patients with a sigmoid type of achalasia underwent POEM in our institute. The POEM procedure was the same as that for the straight type of achalasia. The double-scope technique was used to check the distal end of the submucosal tunnel from the gastric side. The primary endpoint was improvement of Eckardt score at 2 months after POEM. The secondary endpoints comprised operating time, change in the esophageal angulation, and adverse events. RESULTS: All patients underwent POEM without severe adverse events. The respective parameters before and after POEM significantly differed in terms of mean (SD) Eckardt score [4.9 (2.0) vs. 0.4 (0.6), p < 0.01], LES pressure [19.4 (10.2) vs. 9.2 (6.4), p < 0.01], and integrated relaxation pressure [17.6 (9.2) vs. 7.9 (5.5), p < 0.01]. The average operation time was 94.7 ± 31.4 min. The average esophageal angulation was 88.4° ± 23.1° before POEM and 109.5° ± 16.7° after POEM (p < 0.01). Four patients had postoperative complications that were treated conservatively. CONCLUSIONS: POEM can improve both LES pressure and esophageal angulation in patients with sigmoid achalasia.

Esophageal Carcinosarcoma with Basaloid Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Esophageal carcinosarcoma is a rare tumor composed of neoplastic squamous epithelium and sarcomatous spindle cells. The origin of spindle cells remains unknown; however, the majority of sarcomatous components are currently considered to be derived from existing carcinomatous cells via epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). We report a case of esophageal carcinosarcoma harboring basaloid squamous cell carcinoma successfully treated with preoperative chemotherapy. A 78-year-old man complaining dysphagia was diagnosed as esophageal carcinosarcoma. After two courses of preoperative chemotherapy with cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil, curative esophagectomy with lymph node dissection was performed thoracoscopically. Histopathological findings of the resected specimen revealed the mixture of basaloid squamous cell carcinoma and sarcomatous spindle cells. A transitional zone between both components was also detected. As fibrosis was identified around both two components, the findings indicated that both carcinomatous and sarcomatous neoplasms disappeared by preoperative chemotherapy. Final pathological diagnosis was esophageal carcinosarcoma with basaloid squamous cell carcinoma. No recurrent lesions have been detected for 25 months after the surgery. Sarcomatous spindle cells could be derived from the components of basaloid squamous cell carcinoma in our present case due to the presence of histological transition between two components. In addition, the marked immunoreactivity of vimentin (an EMT marker) detected in the tumor cells of basaloid squamous cell carcinoma could be consistent with the concept of monoclonal origin via EMT. The regimen targeting squamous cell carcinoma could also be effective in the treatment of sarcomatous components. Preoperative therapy might achieve the improvement of clinical outcome of patients with esophageal carcinosarcoma.

Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) for complex achalasia and the POEM difficulty score.

BACKGROUND: Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) for achalasia is technically challenging to carry out in patients with type III, multiple prior treatments, prior myotomy, and sigmoid type. Herein, we present a series of consecutive patients with complex achalasia and introduce the POEM difficulty score (PDS). AIM: To demonstrate the application and discuss the utility of PDS and present the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of POEM in complex achalasia patients. METHODS: Forty consecutive POEM were carried out with 28 meeting the criteria for complex achalasia. Primary outcome was clinical success (Eckardt score ≤3) at a minimum of 3 months follow-up. Secondary outcomes included adverse events, procedural velocity and PDS. RESULTS: Twenty-eight complex and 12 non-complex POEM procedures were carried out with 100% and 92% clinical success, respectively, without any major adverse events with a median follow up of 15 months (complex) and 8 months (non-complex). Mean velocities for non-complex, type III, prior myotomy, ≥4 procedures and sigmoid type were as follows: 4.4 ± 1.6, 4.8 ± 1.5, 5.9 ± 2.2, 6.9 ± 2.2 and 8.2 ± 3.2 min/cm, respectively. Median PDS for non-complex, type III, prior myotomy, ≥4 treatments and sigmoid type were 1 (0-3), 2 (0-4), 2.5 (1-6), 3 (2-6) and 3.5 (1-6), respectively. PDS was shown to correlate well with procedural velocity with a correlation coefficient of 0.772 (Spearman's P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: PDS identifies the factors that contribute to challenging POEM procedures and correlates well with procedural velocity. The order of increasing difficulty of POEM in complex achalasia appears to be type III, prior myotomy, ≥4 treatments and sigmoid type.

Definitive chemoradiotherapy with docetaxel, cisplatin, and 5-fluorouracil (DCF-R) for advanced cervical esophageal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Recently, definitive chemoradiotherapy (dCRT) has become one of the essential treatment strategies for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and has been especially gaining prevalence for cervical ESCC to preserve the larynx. Our department recently introduced dCRT concomitant with docetaxel, cisplatin, and 5-fluorouracil (DCF-R) for treating advanced cervical ESCC. This study aims to assess the safety and outcomes of DCF-R in patients with advanced cervical ESCC. METHODS: We retrospectively assessed 11 patients with advanced cervical ESCC (clinical stage: II-IV, including T4b and/or M1 lymph node) who received DCF-R as the first-line treatment between December 2010 and February 2015. RESULTS: Our patient cohort comprised 8 males and 3 females (median age 68 years; range 54-76 years). The pretreatment clinical stage included stage II (1), stage III (7), and stage IV (3) cases [including 3 patients with T4b (2 trachea and 1 thyroid) and 3 patients with M1 lymph node]. We attained complete response (CR) in 10 patients and stable disease in 1 patient. Of 10 patients with CR, 5 experienced recurrence and 5 continued exhibiting CR. Furthermore, grade 3 or more adverse events included leucopenia (91%), neutropenia (91%), febrile neutropenia (45%), and pharyngeal pain (55%). While the 2-year overall survival rate was 72%, the 2-year recurrent-free survival rate was 64%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: DCF-R treatment for advanced cervical esophageal cancer could be completed by the careful administration; although a strong blood toxicity might occur, this treatment may provide the chance to obtain favorable prognosis with larynx preservation.

Impact of routine recurrent laryngeal nerve monitoring in prone esophagectomy with mediastinal lymph node dissection.

BACKGROUND: The problem of recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) paralysis (RLNP) after radical esophagectomy remains unresolved. Several studies have confirmed that intraoperative nerve monitoring (IONM) of the RLN during thyroid surgery substantially decreases the incidence of RLN damage. This study tried to determine the feasibility and effectiveness of IONM of the RLN during thoracoscopic esophagectomy in the prone position for esophageal cancer. METHODS: All 108 patients who underwent prone esophagectomy at Tohoku University Hospital between July 2012 and March 2015 were included in this study. We divided patients into two groups: a control group (No-Monitoring group, surgery without IONM; n = 54) and a study group (Monitoring group, surgery with IONM; n = 54). In Monitoring group, neural stimulation was performed for both RLNs before and after dissection in the thoracic procedure, then for RLNs and vagus nerves (VNs) in the cervical procedure. The feasibility of IONM in Monitoring group and early surgical outcomes were retrospectively compared with those in No-Monitoring group. RESULTS: IONM could be performed for 47 cases (87.0%) in Monitoring group. Reasons for discontinuation were use of muscle relaxants (3 patients), change in thoracotomy procedure (2 patients), past rib bone fracture (1 patient), and allergic shock by transfusion (1 patient). Right RLNPs were identified postoperatively in 4 patients, and left RLNPs in 23 patients. IONM sensitivities were 92.7 and 88.0% for the right and left VNs, respectively. Incidences of postoperative RLNP, aspiration, and primary pneumonia did not differ significantly between groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirmed the feasibility and safety of IONM of the RLN for thoracoscopic esophagectomy in the prone position. No significant differences in postoperative outcomes were seen between esophagectomy with and without IONM.

New endoscopic classification of the cardiac orifice in esophageal achalasia: Champagne glass sign.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Endoscopy, barium esophagram and manometry are used in the diagnosis of achalasia. In the case of early achalasia, characteristic endoscopic findings are difficult to recognize. As a result, the diagnosis of achalasia is often made several years after symptom onset. Therefore, we examined the endoscopic findings of the cardiac orifice in achalasia and propose a new classification. METHODS: A total of 400 patients with spastic esophageal motility disorders who underwent peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) at our hospital between March 2014 and August 2015 were screened for this study. Champagne glass sign (CG) was defined as when the distal end of the lower esophageal sphincter relaxation failure (LESRF) was proximal to the squamocolumnar junction (SCJ) and the SCJ was dilated in the retroflex view. Specifically, CG-1 was defined as a distance from the SCJ to the lower end of LESRF of <1 cm, and CG-2 was defined as a distance ≥1 cm. RESULTS: CG-0 was seen in 73 patients (28.0%), whereas the CG sign was seen in 186 patients (71.3%), of whom 170 (65.1%) were CG-1 and 16 (6.1%) were CG-2. CONCLUSIONS: The CG sign is often observed in esophageal achalasia patients. CG-0 (equal to Maki-tsuki) was observed in 28.0% of achalasia patients only. Its absence with dilated SCJ cannot be used to rule out achalasia. Barium esophagram and manometry should be done if esophageal achalasia is strongly suspected.

Thoracoscopic esophagectomy with subcarinal lymph node dissection in the prone position for esophageal cancer with a right superior pulmonary vein anomaly: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Superior posterior pulmonary vein anomaly in the right upper lobe (anomalous V2), which is one of the anomalies of the right superior pulmonary vein (RSPV), runs behind the right main or intermediate bronchus. Although this rarely occurs, attention should be given to this venous anomaly during thoracoscopic esophagectomy with subcarinal lymph node dissection. Here, we report a case of thoracoscopic esophagectomy with subcarinal lymph node dissection in the prone position for lower thoracic esophageal cancer with anomaly of the superior posterior pulmonary vein in the right lobe (anomalous V2). CASE PRESENTATION: A 61-year-old man was diagnosed as having lower esophageal cancer with swelling of multiple lymph nodes in the mediastinum and abdomen. His clinical diagnosis based on the eighth TNM classification system was cT3 N2 M0 stage IIIB. In addition, an anomalous V2 was recognized on preoperative computed tomography imaging before the operation. The vein ran behind the intermediate bronchus and drained into the RSPV located at the area of the subcarinal lymph node. We performed preoperative simulation by using virtual thoracoscopic imaging with the same view as that during operation to help us better dissect the lymph nodes. As a result, thoracoscopic esophagectomy and subcarinal lymph node dissection were performed in the prone position without injuring the anomalous V2. Severe complications did not occur in the postoperative course except for paralysis of the left recurrent laryngeal nerve. The patient was discharged on postoperative day 17. CONCLUSIONS: Injury to an anomalous V2 can cause severe hemorrhage during subcarinal lymph node dissection in esophagectomy. Preoperative simulation by using virtual thoracoscopic imaging is useful to avoid this complication in patients with an anatomical anomaly.

A comparative analysis of clinicopathological factors between esophageal small cell and basaloid squamous cell carcinoma.

Esophageal small cell carcinoma (E-SmCC) and basaloid squamous cell carcinomas (BSCCs) are both highly aggressive malignancies, but their detailed differences in clinical behaviors have remained virtually unknown. In addition, treatment strategies of the patients with E-SmCC have not been established. 29 cases of E-SmCC and 39 with BSCC were examined in this study to clarify the clinical features and outcome of the patients with E-SmCC and to compare the findings with those of BSCC. E-SmCCs presented a more advanced status than BSCC (TNM Stage: P = .002). Esophagectomy was performed in 15 small cell carcinoma patients and 14 were treated with non-surgical/systemic therapy. The clinical outcome of the small cell carcinoma cases was significantly worse than those with BSCC (P = .001), but results of a stage-stratified analysis revealed that the Stage I small cell carcinoma patients presented favorable prognosis (3-year survival rate 100%, n = 4). In contrast, among those with Stage II-IV, clinical outcome tended to be better in the systemic therapy group (3-year survival rate 49%, n = 13) than the surgically treated group (3-year survival rate 0%, n = 12). E-SmCC was a more aggressive neoplasm than BSCC. However, early detection could possibly improve the clinical outcome of patients with E-SmCC. Systemic therapy could also benefit the patients with advanced disease (Stage II-IV).

Treatment of spontaneous esophageal rupture (Boerhaave syndrome) using thoracoscopic surgery and sivelestat sodium hydrate.

BACKGROUND: The mortality rate of spontaneous esophageal rupture remains 20% to 40% due to severe respiratory failure. We have performed thoracoscopic surgery for esophageal disease at our department since 1994. Sivelestat sodium hydrate reportedly improves the pulmonary outcome in the patients with acute lung injury (ALI). METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated the usefulness of thoracoscopic surgery and perioperative administration of sivelestat sodium hydrate for spontaneous esophageal rupture in 12 patients who underwent thoracoscopy at our department between 2002 and 2014. RESULTS: The patient cohort included 11 males and one female (median age, 61 years). The lower left esophageal wall was perforated in all patients. Surgical procedures consisted of thoracoscopic suture and thoracic drainage in six patients, transhiatal suture and thoracoscopic thoracic drainage in five, and thoracoscopic esophagectomy and thoracic drainage in one. The median time from onset to surgery was 8 hours with a surgical duration of 210 minutes, blood loss 260 mL, postoperative ventilator management 1 day, intensive care unit (ICU) stay 5 days, and interval to restoration of oral ingestion 13 days. Postoperative complications included respiratory failure in four patients, pyothorax in three, and leakage in one. There was no instance of perioperative mortality. Regarding perioperative administration of sivelestat sodium hydrate, the postoperative arterial oxygen partial pressure-to-fractional inspired oxygen ratio (P/F) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in the administration group were significantly better than those in the non-administration group on postoperative days 4 (P=0.035) and 5 (P=0.037), respectively. In contrast, there was no significant difference between the groups in median time of ventilator management, ICU stay, oral ingestion following surgery, or hospital stay. CONCLUSIONS: Thoracoscopic surgery obtained acceptable results in all patients, including two with a significant time elapse from onset to treatment. Furthermore, sivelestat sodium hydrate was suggested to help improve postoperative respiration and inflammatory response.

Curative resection of advanced esophageal cancer with metachronous stage IV breast cancer: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Recent studies have shown the safety and efficacy of curative resection of esophageal cancer with multiple primary cancers. However, our literature search revealed no curative surgery cases for esophageal cancer in patients with multiple primary cancers with distant metastasis. CASE PRESENTATION: A 75-year-old woman visited our hospital with dysphagia. She had a history of breast cancer with multiple bone metastasis. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy revealed a circumferential mass in the upper intrathoracic esophagus. Histopathological examination of the biopsy showed squamous cell carcinoma. Other imaging findings revealed multiple nodules in the liver. The nodules were thought to have originated from the breast, but metastasis of esophageal cancer was considered a possibility. Intraoperative frozen sections of the liver and peritoneal nodules showed adenocarcinoma. Thoracoscopic esophagectomy was then performed. Following surgery, the patient received fulvestrant therapy, followed by capecitabine therapy, and the liver tumors decreased in size. She is currently alive after 1.5 years of the surgery without local recurrence of esophageal cancer. DISCUSSION: Although the patient had metastatic breast cancer, her relapse-free interval of 20 years and good response to hormone therapy for 15 years were favorable prognostic factors. Her life expectancy was estimated to be a few years and surgery was performed. CONCLUSION: Curative resection could be considered for patients with esophageal cancer who have an additional cancer with distant metastasis when the prognosis of the additional cancer is not poor.

Different strategy of salvage esophagectomy between residual and recurrent esophageal cancer after definitive chemoradiotherapy.

BACKGROUND: Clinical outcomes appear to differ between patients with residual or recurrent esophageal cancer after definitive chemoradiotherapy. We aimed to identify the patients most likely to benefit from this high-risk surgery, divided by the patients whose cancer was residual and recurrent groups, respectively. METHODS: We retrospectively examined 100 cases of patients who failed to respond to definitive chemoradiotherapy for thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and subsequently underwent salvage transthoracic esophagectomy. RESULTS: In-hospital morbidity was similar in both groups. T status prior to administration of chemoradiotherapy correlated with survival in the group with residual cancer (P=0.010), but this relationship was not significant in the group with recurrent cancer (P=0.635). On the other hand, pathological T status showed a significant correlation with survival in both the residual (P<0.001) and recurrent groups (P=0.001). Patients with T3 disease in the recurrent group showed better survival, similar to T0-2 patients, while worse survival was demonstrated in the residual group. In the recurrent group, N status before chemoradiotherapy did not correlate with survival (P=0.895). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with residual cancer would have good prognosis by salvage esophagectomy in cases in which the cancer had not invaded to the adventitia at the time of chemoradiotherapy and surgery. Conversely, patients whose cancer was recurrent might benefit from salvage surgery if the cancer appears to be resectable. T and N status before chemoradiotherapy are not important factors in consideration of salvage esophagectomy in cases of recurrent cancer.

Combined thoracoscopic and endoscopic surgery for a large esophageal schwannoma.

A 47-year-old woman presented to our hospital with complaints of dysphagia. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy identified a submucosal tumor in the left wall of the esophagus that was diagnosed as a benign schwannoma on biopsy. Computed tomography revealed a tumor of length 60 mm in the thoracic esophagus, with its cranial edge at the level of the aortic arch. On endoscopy, a submucosal tunnel was created 40 mm proximal to the cranial edge of the tumor, and its oral end was dissected from the mucosal and muscular layers. This was followed by the resection of the entire tumor by left-sided thoracoscopy. The esophageal defect was closed in layer by continuous suture from the thoracic side. Endoscopic closure was achieved by using clips. No postoperative complications were observed. Oral diet was resumed from postoperative day 7 and the patient was discharged on postoperative day 9. This combined approach has not been described for similar tumors. Our experience demonstrated that large esophageal tumors can be safely excised with minimally invasive surgery by using a combination of thoracoscopy and endoscopy.

Indocyanine green fluorescence and three-dimensional imaging of right gastroepiploic artery in gastric tube cancer.

A 79-year-old male was admitted to our hospital for the treatment of cancer of the gastric tube. Gastrointestinal examination revealed a T1b Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) tumor at the pyloric region of the gastric tube. Laparotomy did not reveal infiltration into the serosa, peritoneal dissemination, regional lymph node swelling, or distant metastasis. We performed a distal gastrectomy preserving the right gastroepiploic artery by referencing the preoperative three-dimensional computed tomoangiography. We also evaluated the blood flow of the right gastroepiploic artery and in the proximal gastric tube by using indocyanine green fluorescence imaging intra-operatively and then followed with a gastrojejunal anastomosis with Roux-en-Y reconstruction. The definitive diagnosis was moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma of the gastric tube, pT1bN0M0, pStage IA (UICC). His postoperative course was uneventful. Three-dimensional computed tomographic imaging is effective for assessing the course of blood vessels and the relationship with the surrounding structures. Intraoperative evaluation of blood flow of the right gastroepiploic artery and of the gastric tube in the anastomotic portion is very valuable information and could contribute to a safe gastrointestinal reconstruction.