Preoperative heat shock protein 47 levels identify colorectal cancer patients with lymph node metastasis and poor prognosis.

Accumulating evidence suggests that overexpression of heat shock protein 47 (HSP47) increases cancer progression, and that HSP47 level in the tumor-associated stroma may serve as a diagnostic marker in various cancers. The present study aimed to evaluate whether HSP47 gene expression in colorectal cancer (CRC) tissues could be used to identify lymph node (LN) metastasis status preoperatively in patients with CRC. To do so, HSP47 gene expression was determined and its association with the clinicopathological characteristics of patients with CRC was analyzed. A total of 139 surgical specimens from patients with CRC and 36 patients with benign colonic disease undergoing surgery at Mie University Hospital were analyzed. HSP47 gene expression was determined by reverse transcription quantitative PCR using Power SYBR Green PCR methods. Expression level of HSP47 was significantly higher in CRC tissues compared with normal tissue from patients with benign colonic disease. Furthermore, high HSP47 expression was significantly associated with tumor progression, including high T stage, lymph node metastasis and venous invasion, and high TNM stage. High HSP47 expression may therefore serve as a novel predictive biomarker for determining patients with CRC and LN metastasis. According to Kaplan-Meier analysis, patients with high HSP47 expression level had significantly poorer overall survival than those with low HSP47 expression level. Furthermore, multivariate analyses identified HSP47 expression as an independent predictive marker for LN metastasis and poor overall survival in patients with CRC. In summary, the present study demonstrated that HSP47 expression may be considered as a novel biomarker for predicting LN metastasis status and prognosis in patients with CRC.

Usefulness of a single trocar for intrathoracic anastomosis during open thoracic surgery for esophageal cancer.

When patients with esophageal cancer undergo intrathoracic anastomosis after esophagectomy in our institution, we resect the lesser curvature in the thorax using a surgical instrument after circular-stapled esophagogastric anastomosis. We then place the trocar in the seventh intercostal space on the midaxillary line, except in fifth intercostal anterolateral thoracotomy. A linear stapler applied through the thoracotomy sometimes blocks the operator's view, and so it is not so easy to operate with a rather big head in the thorax. We operate a linear cutter for laparoscopic surgery through the trocar. With this method, the instrument is used in good position in respect to the operator's view, and access to the gastric tube is easy. Moreover, we can adjust the resectional angle with this instrument by using the bending mechanism in its shaft. Furthermore, we can reuse the trocar site for the chest tube.