Appearance of fluid content in Rathke's cleft cyst is associated with clinical features and postoperative recurrence rates.

PURPOSE: The contents of Rathke's cleft cysts (RCCs) vary from clear and slightly viscous to purulent. Surgical treatment of symptomatic RCCs involves removing the cyst contents, whereas additional cyst-wall opening to prevent reaccumulation is at the surgeon's discretion. The macroscopic findings of the cyst content can reflect the nature of RCCs and would aid in surgical method selection. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 42 patients with symptomatic RCCs who underwent transsphenoidal surgery at our institute between January 2010 and March 2022. According to the intraoperative findings, cyst contents were classified into type A (purulent), type B (turbid white with mixed semisolids), or type C (clear and slightly viscous). Clinical and imaging findings and early recurrence rate (within two years) were compared according to the cyst content type. RESULTS: There were 42 patients classified into three types. Patients with type C were the oldest (65.4 ± 10.4 years), and type A included more females (92.9%). For magnetic resonance imaging, type-A patients showed contrast-enhanced cyst wall (92.9%), type-B patients had intracystic nodules (57.1%), and all type-C patients showed low T1 and high T2 intensities with larger cyst volumes. Fewer asymptomatic patients had type C. Preoperative pituitary dysfunction was most common in type A (71.4%). Early recurrence was observed in types A and C, which were considered candidates for cyst-wall opening. CONCLUSION: The clinical characteristics and surgical prognosis of RCCs depend on the nature of their contents.

Characteristics of Changes in Intrathecal Baclofen Dosage over Time due to Causative Disease.

Intrathecal baclofen (ITB) therapy effectively treats spasticity caused by brain or spinal cord lesions. However, only a few studies compare the course of treatment for different diseases. We investigated the change in daily dose of baclofen per year and its associated adverse events in patients presenting with the three most common etiologies at our institute: hereditary spastic paraplegia, cerebral palsy, and spinal cord injury. The ITB pumps were implanted from July 2007 to August 2019, with a mean follow-up period of 70 months. In patients with hereditary spastic paraplegia, baclofen dosage was reduced after eight years following ITB introduction, and the treatment was terminated in one patient owing to disease progression. In patients with cerebral palsy, the dosage increased gradually, and became constant in the 11th year. Patients with spinal cord injury gradually increased their baclofen dosage throughout the entire observation period. Severity and adverse event rates were higher in patients with cerebral palsy than in others. The degree and progression of spasticity varied depending on the causative disease. Understanding the characteristics and natural history of each disease is important when continuing ITB treatment.

Efficacy and Safety of Ramucirumab/nab-paclitaxel for Previously Treated Advanced Gastric Cancer in Community Hospitals.

As the nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel (nab-PTX) is free of ethanol and premedication, the duration of administration is shorter and patients can drive themselves to and from the hospital. In the 2018 Japanese gastric cancer treatment guidelines, ramucirumab (RAM) plus weekly nab-PTX is conditionally recommended for previously treated patients with advanced gastric cancer. Here, we retrospectively analysed the efficacy and safety of RAM+nab-PTX for such patients in community hospitals. From January 2018 to December 2019, 43 patients with metastatic and recurrent gastric cancer received RAM+nab-PTX treatment. Six patients (13.9%) were older than 80 years and 9 patients (20.9%) showed ECOG-PS 2. Progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), overall response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), and adverse events (AEs) were reviewed retrospectively. Median PFS was 114 days (95% confidence interval [CI]: 84-190) and median OS was 297 days (95% CI: 180-398). ORR and DCR were 32.4% and 72.2%, respectively. The incidence rates of ≥grade 3 neutropenia and febrile neutropenia were 53.5% and 2.3%, respectively. No treatment-related deaths occurred. RAM plus nab-PTX combination therapy demonstrated manageable toxicity even patients who were elderly or had an ECOG-PS 2. This treatment is useful in community hospital settings.

Large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma arising from a gastritis cystica polyposa.

Gastritis cystica polyposa is a polypoid lesion that arises from the gastric mucosa at the gastrojejunal anastomotic site and is characterized by cystic dilation of the gastric glands. A 78-year-old man who underwent distal gastrectomy for a gastric ulcer with Billroth II reconstruction approximately 40 years previously, exhibited a gastritis cystica polyposa at the anastomotic site. Ulceration was observed on an annual endoscopic examination. Endoscopic ultrasonography revealed a submucosal hypoechoic mass with multiple cystic lesions. Gastrectomy was performed and histological examination revealed a large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma with cystic dilation of the gastric glands. Here, we report the first case of a large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma arising from a gastritis cystica polyposa. Endoscopic ultrasonography was effective at diagnosing a submucosal hypoechoic mass with cystic dilation of the gastric glands.

Well-differentiated pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas measuring ≤ 1 cm exhibit early features of tumor progression: a report of five lesions and a comparative study with advanced lesions.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to clarify whether the features of well-differentiated pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDACs) measuring ≤ 1 cm are the same as those of early PDACs. METHODS: Five well-differentiated PDACs measuring ≤ 1 cm were clinicopathologically compared with 19 ≥ 2 cm PDACs. Additionally, an immunohistochemical analysis for abnormalities in the expression of five molecular parameters: MUC1, p16, p53, Smad4 and sonic hedgehog, which are associated with tumor progression, was performed. RESULTS: The clinicopathological comparison revealed that well-differentiated PDACs measuring ≤ 1 cm were detected significantly more often without angiolymphatic invasion and with a sparse presence of cancer cells than were the ≥ 2 cm PDACs. On the other hand, in well-differentiated PDACs measuring ≤ 1 cm, the incidence of abnormal immunolabeling for MUC1, p16, p53 and sonic hedgehog was similar to that in ≥ 2 cm PDACs. However, the incidence of diffusely positive immunolabeling for MUC1 and the mean number of abnormally immunolabeled samples for the five parameters were significantly lower in well-differentiated ≤ 1 cm PDACs (20 % and 3 ± 1) than in ≥ 2 cm PDACs (90 % and 4 ± 1). CONCLUSION: The current study revealed that as the tumor size increases, molecular abnormalities are accumulated, suggesting that well-differentiated PDACs measuring ≤ 1 cm are in an earlier stage of genetic progression than are ≥ 2 cm PDACs, and these lesions may exhibit early features of invasive PDACs.

[Long survival of a colon cancer case with synchronous multiple liver metastases responding to S-1].

In May 2005, a 79-year-old woman was referred to our hospital with complaints of right lower quadrant mass and feces mixed with blood. After examination, she was diagnosed with ascending colon cancer and synchronous multiple liver metastases. Postoperative diagnosis after right hemicolectomy and D3 lymph node dissection was T2, N1, H2, P0, M0, and Stage IV. One month after the operation, we started a combination chemotherapy using 5-FU plus UFT as pharmacokinetic modulating chemotherapy with hepatic arterial infusion (HAI-PMC). But abdominal CT scan revealed the increase of multiple liver metastases, PD, after 4 courses of treatment. We then changed to modified HAI-PMC (additional CPT-11, once every four weeks), but had to cancel it due to her exhaustion and inappetence. Therefore, S-1 was started from October, 2005. Each course consisted of daily oral administration of 80 mg S-1 for 4 weeks and withdrawal for 2 weeks. After 4 courses, abdominal CT scan revealed a reduction in the number of multiple liver metastases, PR. PR has continued for a long term to date. As an adverse event, we had grade 3 neutropenia and grade 2 diarrhea in January 2009, and we changed the administration method (80 mg S-1 for 2 weeks and withdrawal for 1 week). She continues to undergo outpatient treatment with good QOL without a lesion for 4 years and 6 months. S-1 is expected to be an effective agent for the treatment of advanced colon cancer.

[A case of synchronous hepatocellular carcinoma successfully treated by S-1 and cisplatin (CDDP) as neoadjuvant chemotherapy for gastric cancer].

Combination chemotherapy with S-1 and cisplatin(S-1/CDDP)has become the standard treatment for gastric cancer, but the effect for hepatocellular carcinoma has not become clear. We experienced a case with advanced gastric cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma at the same time. We used S-1/CDDP as neoadjuvant chemotherapy for the case and performed surgical resection of the gastric cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma. From histological examination of the resected specimen, we may be able to prove that the S-1/CDDP chemotherapy for the hepatocellular carcinoma was also effective. A 57-year-old man visited our hospital with epigastralgia. Further examinations revealed a type-3 advanced gastric cancer with bulky N2 and hepatocellular carcinoma at segment 5. The gastric cancer was thought to be too advanced for initial surgery, so we performed S-1/CDDP chemotherapy(S-1 100 mg/body/day, CDDP 20 mg/body twice/week for 2 weeks)as preoperative therapy. After remarkable shrinkage of the gastric cancer was obtained, we performed distal gastrectomy, D2+a lymph node excision, liver S5 segmentectomy and cholecystectomy. The histological examination showed remarkable denaturation and necrosis as grade 2 effectiveness in over two-thirds of the hepatocellular carcinoma area and grade 1b in gastric cancer according to the Japanese classification of gastric carcinoma. This result suggests that S-1/CDDP chemotherapy might therefore be effective as systemic therapy for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. However, further clinical trials are required.