[A case report of undifferentiated carcinoma of the sigmoid colon with rhabdoid features].

A 45-year-old woman with persistent abdominal pain was admitted to our hospital. Detailed examination revealed a type 4 lesion with circumferential narrowing, which was diagnosed as a poorly differentiated carcinoma following forceps biopsy and ascitic fluid cytology. Although the lesion was surgically resected, the ascites increased rapidly, and her general condition deteriorated in the postoperative period. She died 6 weeks after the appearance of her symptoms. Autopsy and histological examination confirmed a very rare undifferentiated colon carcinoma with rhabdoid features, which is a high-grade malignant lesion associated with a poor prognosis.

Primary liver tumor associated with Werner syndrome (adult progeria).

A 57-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with characteristic aging of the face and thin body. Before admission, she had been treated for diabetes mellitus type 2 and had undergone amputation of the right leg due to ischemic disease. Abdominal computed tomography revealed primary liver tumor. Biopsy of the liver mass revealed poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, not hepatocellular carcinoma. Genetic sequencing indicated a homozygous mutation in the Werner syndrome gene (WRN) and she was diagnosed with Werner syndrome with primary liver tumor. She declined medications for the liver tumor and eventually died 6 months after diagnosis. Werner syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disorder associated with premature aging, and most cases of Werner syndrome have been reported from Japan. The main causes of death with Werner syndrome are malignancy and atherosclerotic vascular disease. With respect to malignancy, non-epithelial tumors are more common in Werner syndrome patients than in the general population. Some cases also show complications of epithelial tumors, as in the present case. When a liver tumor of unknown etiology is accompanied by characteristic aging of the face, Werner syndrome should be suspected and a comprehensive search for other tumors and complications of metabolic disorders undertaken.

[A case of pancreatic mucinous carcinoma with special reference to diagnostic usefulness of contrast enhanced ultrasonography].

A 72-year-old man was admitted to our hospital for further investigation of pancreatic mass. Ultrasonography revealed hypoechoic mass with hyperechoic and aechoic area. Contrast enhanced ultrasonography (CE-US) revealed a vascular image in the lesion. CT showed some enhanced parts of low density mass in the pancreatic body, which was recognized as low-, high- and relatively high-intensity mass on T1-, T2-WI MRI and MRCP, respectively. The final pathological diagnosis showed mucinous carcinoma. CE-US may be useful for diagnosis of mucinous carcinoma.