Resection of pancreatic and splenic metastases from alveolar soft part sarcoma: a case report.

BACKGROUND: We present a case of pancreatic and splenic metastases following alveolar soft part sarcoma (ASPS), which was successfully treated by surgery. CASE PRESENTATION: A 41-year-old male was referred to our hospital in 2012. Computed tomography (CT) showed the presence of a pancreatic tumor. In 2002, the patient had undergone surgical resection of an ASPS of the anal region. In 2009, during follow-up, CT revealed lung metastases, which prompted surgical resection of the lung, followed by resection of the head skin in 2011. Abdominal ultrasonography (US) revealed the presence of isodense masses sized 34 mm in the pancreatic head and 60 mm within the spleen. The contrast-enhanced US revealed a solitary lesion with enhancement. Contrast-enhanced CT revealed solitary lesions with enhancement within the pancreatic head, spleen, and liver. The patient underwent metastasectomies from the pancreas, spleen, and liver. The patient was discharged on postoperative day 22 without recurrence for 18 months after metastasectomy. Twelve years after primary resection and 2 years after metastasectomy, the patient died as a consequence of multiple metastases. CONCLUSIONS: We have presented a rare case of pancreatic and spleen metastases from ASPS. Resection by radical metastasectomy was successful without morbidity. Thus, for improved survival of patients with multiple metastases from ASPS, metastasectomy may be indicated. If multiple metastases are resectable, surgical approaches may be the preferred treatment.

A case of hepatocellular adenoma with pedunculated development and difficulty in diagnosis.

Hepatocellular adenoma (HCA) is a benign hepatocyte-derived epithelial tumor. HCA is associated with oral contraceptive use among Caucasian populations. We report a case of hepatocellular adenoma with a pedunculated protuberance and high protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist-II (PIVKA-II) levels, which made diagnosis challenging. The patient was a 22-year-old woman. In a medical check-up, a high γ-GTP level was detected and a 115-mm solid mass was found in her lower abdomen via abdominal ultrasonography. A blood test showed a high PIVKA-II level. Abdominal CT showed a tumor in the lower abdomen. Contrast-enhanced CT showed a blood vessel thought to be the left hepatic artery connecting to the mass, and a blood vessel thought to be the left hepatic vein returning from the mass to the inferior vena cava. In EOB-MRI, uneven enhancement was observed after contrast imaging, but washout in the equilibrium phase was unclear. Parenchymal hepatocyte phases showed a pale, non-uniform, high signal. These findings indicated that the tumor was derived from the left lobe of the liver and was suggestive of HCC. Surgical resection was then performed. A pathological examination led to a diagnosis of HCA, corresponding to unclassified HCA. The WHO classification of tumors of the digestive system based on an immunohistological examination includes HNF1α-inactivated HCA, ß-catenin-activated HCA, inflammatory HCA, and unclassified HCA. In summary, our patient had a large HCA with pedunculated protrusion into the extrahepatic pelvic cavity. This case was challenging to diagnose because of abnormally high PIVKA-II levels, and it was resected laparoscopically.

Effect of pancrelipase in preventing pancreatic dysfunction after pancreaticoduodenectomy.

OBJECTIVES: Patients who have undergone pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) may experience a long-term decrease in quality of life because of postoperative pancreatic dysfunction (such as digestive and absorption disorders) and fatty liver as a result of combined resection of the duodenum, gallbladder, and bile duct. The present study investigated the usefulness of pancrelipase for the prevention of pancreatic dysfunction after PD. METHODS: The data from 73 patients who underwent PD in a single institution were analyzed. Patients who underwent PD during 2007-2011 were administered the low-titer pancreatic enzyme preparations berizym® and pancreatin® (first period group), while patients who underwent PD during 2012-2017 were administered the high-titer pancreatic enzyme preparation pancrelipase (second period group). The following measures of the nutrition status were examined before and after PD: serum albumin concentration, total lymphocyte count, serum total cholesterol concentration, body mass index, controlling nutrition status (CONUT) index, Onodera's prognostic nutrition index (PNI), and liver computed tomography values. RESULTS: The second period group had significantly higher serum albumin concentrations at 3 and 6 months postoperatively, serum total cholesterol concentrations at 1 month postoperatively, and Onodera's PNI values at 3 and 6 months postoperatively than the first period group. The CONUT index values at 6 months after PD were significantly lower in the second period group than in the first period group. CONCLUSIONS: Pancrelipase is useful in improving the nutrition status and preventing fatty liver after PD.

[A Case of Locally Advanced Gastric Cancer - R0 Resection Was Performed by Pancreaticoduodenectomy with Portal Vein Resection Following Neoadjuvant Therapy].

A 76-year-old woman, complained of weight loss, was admitted in our hospital. After investigation, she was diagnosed with clinical Stage III B gastric cancer with invasion into the pancreas and transverse colon. After performing the staging laparoscopy and gastrojejunostomy for pyloric stenosis, she was treated with 2 courses of SOX therapy as neoadjuvant therapy, and subsequently underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy and right hemicolectomy combined with portal vein resection due to severe adhesion by the tumor. The pathological diagnosis was pT4b(colon), pN0(0/22), pM0, pStage III B. There were no findings of tumor invasion into the pancreas or the portal vein. She was discharged without any complications. She did not receive the adjuvant chemotherapy, and died of other illness at 10 months after surgery. For the locally advanced gastric cancer such as invasion to the pancreas, the extended resection as an R0 resection could be achieved more safely, by evaluating accurately the incurable factors and planning an effective strategy according to the patient's condition.

[Human pulmonary dirofilariasis].

The patient was a 60's-year-old man, who was incidentally pointed out a coin lesion in the right lung by chest radiogram. Chest computed tomography showed a round-shaped, well defined nodule of 2.5 cm in size in the right S1. Positron emission tomography did not show the accumulation of fluorodeoxyglucose in the nodule. We considered the tumor to be benign, but the patient chose surgical treatment. Partial resection of the lung was performed by thoracoscopic surgery. Histopathological diagnosis was human pulmonary dirofilariasis.

Hepatic sarcoidosis mimicking hilar cholangiocarcinoma: case report and review of the literature.

Sarcoidosis is a multisystemic granulomatous disease of unknown etiology. Hepatic involvement was reported in about 11% of patients with sarcoidosis. However, cases of sarcoidosis in which the granuloma is solitary and limited in the liver are very rare. A 51-year-old woman with tumors in the liver underwent extended left lobectomy with caudate lobectomy and bile duct resection. The tumor was located between segment 4 and the hilar region. Some daughter nodules were found in the left lobe, which were regarded as intrahepatic metastasis. Our case displayed clinical and radiologically distinct findings, which are very similar to those of hilar cholangiocarcinoma restricted to the liver. This report demonstrates that sarcoidosis can show solitary hepatic involvement in the absence of thoracic lymphadenopathy. In such a case, it is difficult to distinguish the diagnosis from other malignant neoplasms. In conclusion, the diagnosis of hepatic sarcoidosis has to be made through prudent and comprehensive investigations that include a full clinical history of sarcoidosis in other organs. Despite utilizing several detailed diagnostic modalities, the definitive diagnosis of cases of solitary sarcoidosis may remain difficult. In these cases, surgical treatment including liver resection should be considered in order to avoid missing a suitable opportunity for treatment.

Laparoscopic excision of the cystic lymphangioma occurred in the lesser omentum: report of a case and review of literature.

Intraperitoneal cyst occurring in the lesser omentum is extremely rare entity. Because of the absence of abdominal symptoms, omental cyst is occasionally found accidentally in imaging examination performed during health screening. We experienced a case of cystic lymphangioma that occurred in the lesser omentum, which was successfully resected under complete laparoscopic procedure. A 50-year-old Japanese woman was admitted to our hospital because a cystic mass was found in the abdomen. Abdominal computed tomography scan was performed because she had a traffic accident, despite complaining no abdominal symptoms. The abdominal computed tomography scan and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a large cystic mass in the lesser omentum adjacent to the lesser curvature of the stomach, which was resected with a complete laparoscopic procedure. As the cystic wall was closely attached to the lesser curvature of the gastric wall, an ultrasonic coagulating shear was quite helpful to entirely mobilize the cyst from the surrounding structure such as lesser curvature of the stomach. After placing clips to the feeding vessels to the cyst branched from the accessory hepatic vessels, the entire cyst was mobilized without leakage of cystic content. The postoperative course was uneventful with slight delayed gastric emptying due to partial denervation of the lesser curvature of the stomach. The patient was discharged on eighth day after surgery without any postoperative complications. This is the first case of cyst of lesser omentum resected under complete laparoscopic procedure and certainly highlights advantage and feasibility of laparoscopic approach for cases with abdominal cystic lesions. Laparoscopic excision of cystic lymphangioma in the lesser omentum provides all the advantage of minimally invasive procedure.

Delayed vascular injury and severe respiratory distress as a rare complication of a central venous catheter and total parenteral nutrition.

Complications related to central venous catheters (CVCs) in the postoperative period can be fatal. We recently had a case of bilateral pleural effusion and respiratory distress caused by delayed vascular injury. A 79-y-old Japanese woman was admitted to our hospital because of advanced gastric carcinoma. A multiple-lumen CVC was placed through the left subclavian vein 1 d before surgery for postoperative nutritional management. The patient suddenly complained of dyspnea, and the chest X-ray film revealed right massive pleural effusion. Although the patient's symptoms soon disappeared after the thoracentesis, she again developed severe respiratory distress, and an endotracheal intubation was performed and her respiration was managed by mechanical ventilation. Computed tomographic scan of the chest revealed a displacement of the tip of the CVC out of the wall of the superior vena cava, mediastinitis, and leakage of intravenous fluid, which may have been caused by delayed vascular injury due to the CVC. The CVC was removed immediately after the diagnosis of delayed vascular injury at 10 d after surgery. The patient soon recovered with conservative treatment and was discharged from the hospital 43 d after surgery. This case highlights an extremely rare presenting complication of CVC placement and total parenteral nutrition.

Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy for gastric decompression after repeated intestinal obstruction after open abdominal surgery.

In patients with repeated intestinal obstructions after open abdominal surgery, aerophagia associated with disturbances in gastrointestinal passage causes the accumulation of large amounts of air, resulting in chronic symptoms including abdominal pain and distention and consequently malnutrition. We successfully used percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) for long-term gastric decompression in 2 cases with aerophagia. The first case was a 69-year-old Japanese man admitted for repeated intestinal obstruction after an appendectomy. After the last surgery for intestinal obstruction, the patient experienced repeated abdominal distention and anorexia, resulting in weight loss and malnutrition. The second case was a 79-year-old man complaining of abdominal pain and distention. He had a history of resection of the lower pharynx and larynx owing to total laryngectomy and had received a permanent tracheostomy. He then underwent surgery for intestinal obstruction. Because the patients' abdominal symptoms were unresponsive to administration of a peristalsis stimulant and a laxative, we performed PEG to deflate the gastrointestinal tract. An abdominal x-ray taken after the PEG placement showed the elimination of the gas and a remarkable improvement in the gastric dilatation, and the abdominal symptoms soon disappeared. These cases highlight the clinical importance and usefulness of PEG for gastric decompression in patients with aerophagia associated with repeated intestinal obstruction.

Pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis associated with massive free air mimicking perforated diffuse peritonitis.

While pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis (PCI) is a rare disease entity associated with a wide variety of gastrointestinal and non-gastrointestinal disorders, PCI associated with massive intra- and retroperitoneal free air is extremely uncommon, and is difficult to diagnose differentially from perforated peritonitis. We present two cases of PCI associated with massive peritoneal free air and/or retroperitoneal air that mimicked perforated peritonitis. These cases highlight the clinical importance of PCI that mimics perforated peritonitis, which requires emergency surgery. Preoperative imaging modalities and diagnostic laparoscopy are useful to make an accurate diagnosis.

[Predictive value of orotate phosphoribosyltransferase in chemoresistant patients with gastric carcinoma who underwent S-1-based neoadjuvant/adjuvant chemotherapy].

S-1, a most effective DPD-inhibitory fluoropyrimidine, used as neoadjuvant/adjuvant chemotherapy has recently been shown to improve clinical outcome in patients with stage II and III advanced stage gastric carcinoma. Orotate phosphoribosyltransferase(OPRTEC 2.4.2.10)is a primary enzyme involved in the first-step phosphorylation process of 5-fluorouracil and is an important enzyme that possibly enables to predict sensitivity to S-1 irrespective of tissue DPD levels. To test the hypothesis that a low OPRT level in gastric carcinoma tissue is an indicator of chemoresistance to S-1-based chemotherapy, the predictive value of OPRT levels in chemoresistance was evaluated in patients with gastric carcinoma undergoing S-1-based-neoadjuvant/adjuvant chemotherapy using survival analyses. A total of 67 patients with advanced-stage gastric carcinoma who underwent S-1-based neoadjuvant/adjuvant chemotherapy were subjected to the study. The OPRT level was determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)that has recently been developed. Postoperative cumulative survival rates were determined by the Kaplan-Meier method. The patients who underwent S-1-based adjuvant/neoadjuvant chemotherapy(n=67)were divided into 2 groups using various cut-off values to determine the prognostic significance of the OPRT level. The prognostic significance of OPRT levels was analyzed using Cox's proportional hazard model. The P value of the survival rate between the groups of low and high OPRT levels was the lowest(p=0.0018), when 2.0 ng/mg protein was used as a cut-off value for the OPRT level. The 3-year survival rate of Group L and Group H was 0% and 60%, respectively. In particular, there was a significant difference in the survival rates between Group L and Group H in stage III patients(p<0.05 by logrank test). T he survival rate of Group L(OPRT<2.0 ng/mg protein)was significantly lower than that of group H(OPRT> or =2.0 ng/mg protein)(p<0.05 by logrank test). The multivariate analysis using Cox' proportional hazard model indicated that venous invasion of carcinoma(>v2), lymph node metastasis(>5), and low OPRT level (OPRT<2.0 ng/mg protein) were significant prognostic factors in patients who were underwent S-1-based neoadjuvant/adjuvant chemotherapy. These results suggest that patients with a low OPRT level(OPRT<2.0 ng/mg protein)are non-responders to S-1- based adjuvant/neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The determination of OPRT levels in gastric carcinoma tissue enables to predict the response to S-1-based neoadjuvant/adjuvant chemotherapy.

Levels and expressions of orotate phosphoribosyltransferase in gastric carcinoma and normal gastric mucosa tissues.

BACKGROUND: Orotate phosphoribosyltransferase (OPRT; EC 2.4.2.10), a key enzyme that catalyzes one of the primary steps in the phosphorylation of fluoropyrimidine, was recently recognized as an important enzyme that determines the anticancer effects of the dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase-inhibitory fluoropyrimidine, S-1. METHODS: Levels of OPRT were examined in 97 gastric carcinoma tissues and 65 normal gastric mucosa tissues obtained from patients with gastric carcinoma. The relation between OPRT levels and clinicopathological variables was evaluated, and correlations of OPRT with thymidylate synthase and dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase levels in gastric carcinoma tissues were evaluated. RESULTS: Although OPRT levels were high in well-differentiated and localized carcinomas, they were not correlated with other clinicopathological variables or with the pathological stage of gastric carcinoma. Levels of OPRT were significantly higher in gastric carcinoma tissue than in normal gastric mucosa. OPRT levels were not correlated with levels of either thymidylate synthase or dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase. In samples of gastric carcinoma tissues and normal gastric mucosa tissues obtained simultaneously from 24 patients, no correlation was found between OPRT levels in gastric carcinoma and levels in normal gastric mucosa. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the OPRT level is significantly higher in gastric carcinoma tissue than in normal gastric mucosa and that the OPRT level in gastric carcinoma is a novel variable that is independent of the levels of other previously known enzymes related to 5-fluorouracil (FU) metabolism.

[Orotate phosphoribosyltransferase levels in gastric carcinoma and normal gastric mucosa - correlation with thymidylate synthase and dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase levels and the changes after neoadjuvant chemotherapy].

Orotate phosphoribosyltransferase (OPRT, EC 2.4.2.10), a key enzyme that catalyzes one of the primary first-step phosphorylation processes of fluoropyrimidine, has recently been recognized as an important factor that primarily determines the anticancer effects of S-1. The OPRT levels were examined in 97 gastric carcinoma tissues and 65 normal gastric mucosa tissues obtained from patients with gastric carcinoma using a newly-developed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Correlations with thymidylate synthase and dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase levels and the effects of neoadjuvant chemotherapy were evaluated. The OPRT level in gastric carcinoma tissue was significantly higher than that in normal gastric mucosa. There was no correlation of OPRT level with either TS or DPD levels. There was no correlation of OPRT level between those in gastric carcinoma and those in normal gastric mucosa simultaneously obtained from identical patients. The OPRT levels in patients who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy were not different from those without neoadjuvant chemotherapy. These results suggest that activation of fluoropyrimidine mainly occurs in carcinoma tissues and the OPRT levels in carcinoma tissues were not influenced by neoadjuvant chemotherapy with fluoropyrimidine.

[The advances of laparoscopic treatment for gastric cancer].

Recently, laparoscopic surgery for gastric cancer is very interesting topic in the treatment of gastric cancer. Therefore,many surgeons are attempting laparoscopic surgery. However, the technique of this surgery has never been established yet. From July 1997 to July 2006, we performed laparoscopic surgeries for 420 cases of gastric cancer with lymph node dissection. We have describe our technical advances in laparoscopic treatment for gastric cancer along with the clinical outcomes.