Primary Malignant Melanoma of the Esophagus Treated with Surgical Resection at an Early Stage.

Introduction: Primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus is a very rare disease with a poor prognosis. We herein report a patient with primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus who underwent surgical resection. Case Presentation: A 73-year-old female underwent an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy during follow-up for colonic diverticulitis. An endoscopic examination and constructed radiography revealed a slightly elevated black pigmented lesion in the upper esophagus and a black pigmented area in the esophagogastric junction. Through a preoperative endoscopic biopsy, she was diagnosed with malignant melanoma of the esophagus. We performed thoracoscopy-assisted and laparoscopy-assisted subtotal esophagectomy with lymphadenectomy. The surgical specimens were subjected to immunohistochemical analysis, resulting in a diagnosis of malignant melanoma. The tumor cells were positive for Melan-A and HMB-45 diffusely, supporting that diagnosis. We performed surgical resection in a case of primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus, and the patient has remained disease free for 2 years since the surgery. Conclusion: Early diagnosis and radical resection may be essential for long-term survival in patients with malignant melanoma of the esophagus.

Efficacy of laparoscopic liver resection for small hepatocellular carcinoma located in the posterosuperior segments: A multi-institutional study using propensity score matching by the Kyushu Study Group of Liver Surgery.

AIM: Laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) located in the posterosuperior segments (PS) have generally been considered more difficult than those for HCC in anterolateral segments (AL), but may be safe and feasible for selected patients with accumulated experience. In the present study, we investigated the effectiveness of LLR for single nodular HCCs ≤3 cm located in PS. METHODS: In total, 473 patients who underwent partial liver resection for single nodular HCCs ≤3 cm at the 18 institutions belonging to the Kyusyu Study Group of Liver Surgery from January 2010 to December 2018 were enrolled. The short-term outcomes of laparoscopic partial liver resection and open liver resection (OLR) for HCCs ≤3 cm, with subgroup analysis of PS and AL, were compared using propensity score-matching analysis. Furthermore, results were also compared between LLR-PS and LLR-AL. RESULTS: The original cohort of patients with HCC ≤3 cm included 328 patients with LLR and 145 with OLR. After matching, 140 patients with LLR and 140 with OLR were analyzed. Significant differences were found between groups in terms of volume of blood loss (median, 55 vs. 287 ml, p < 0.001), postoperative complications (0.71 vs. 8.57%, p = 0.003), and postoperative hospital stay (median, 9 vs. 14 days, p < 0.001). The results of subgroup analysis of PS were similar. Short-term outcomes did not differ significantly between LLR-PS and LLR-AL after matching. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic partial resection could be the preferred option for single nodular HCCs ≤3 cm located in PS.

Adrenocortical carcinoma mimicking hepatocellular carcinoma: A case report.

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a relatively rare tumor arising in the adrenal cortex. Its imaging and histopathologic findings are not well known to be similar to those of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We report here a case of ACC with hepatic resection in the preoperative diagnosis of HCC. CASE PRESENTATION: A 46-year-old woman was noted to have a tumor 45 mm in size in the segment 7 of the liver on CT during a medical checkup. The tumor had consistent imaging findings as HCC on Ultrasound, CT, and MRI examinations, and the result of the liver tumor biopsy was a diagnosis of intermediate differentiated HCC. We considered the tumor to be HCC and performed a posterior segmentectomy with combined resection of the right adrenal gland, which had adhesions suspected to direct invasion. The pathology of the resected specimen confirmed the diagnosis of ACC with direct invasion into the liver. CLINICAL DISCUSSION: ACC may show a contrast pattern similar to that of HCC on imaging, and histopathology may show atypical cells with eosinophilic sporulation, similar to that of HCC. Our case serves to alert physicians that ACC should be considered a differential diagnosis in patients with suspected HCC in the posterior segment. CONCLUSION: Tumors suspected of HCC in the dorsal posterior segment of the liver should be considered as possible ACC.

Risk Factors of Complications from Central Bisectionectomy (H458) for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Multi-Institutional Single-Arm Analysis.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to clarify the perioperative risk factors and short-term prognosis of central bisectionectomy (CB) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: Surgical data from 142 selected patients out of 171 HCC patients who underwent anatomical CB (H458) between 2005 and 2020 were collected from 17 expert institutions in a single-arm retrospective study. RESULTS: Morbidities recorded by the International Study Group of Liver Surgery (ISGLS) from grade BC post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) and bile leakage (PHBL), or complications requiring intervention were observed in 37% of patients. A multivariate analysis showed that increased blood loss (iBL) > 1500 mL from PHLF (risk ratio [RR]: 2.79), albumin level < 4 g/dL for PHBL (RR, 2.99), involvement of segment 1, a large size > 6 cm, or compression of the hepatic venous confluence or cava by HCC for all severe complications (RR: 5.67, 3.75, 6.51, and 8.95, respectively) (p < 0.05) were significant parameters. Four patients (3%) died from PHLF. HCC recurred in 50% of 138 surviving patients. The three-year recurrence-free and overall survival rates were 48% and 81%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Large tumor size and surrounding tumor involvement, or compression of major vasculatures and the related iBL > 1500 mL were independent risk factors for severe morbidities in patients with HCC undergoing CB.

Impact of S-1 adjuvant chemotherapy longer than 6 months on survival in patients with resected pancreatic cancer: a nationwide survey by the Japan Pancreas Society based on real-world data.

BACKGROUND: Based on the Japan Adjuvant Study Group of Pancreatic Cancer 01 study, the standard duration of adjuvant chemotherapy with S-1 (an oral 5-fluorouracil prodrug consisting of tegafur, gimeracil, and oteracil) in patients with resected pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) was considered to be 6 months, but the impact of increasing its duration on postoperative survival was unknown. Here, the authors investigated this question by reviewing real-world data from a large cohort of patients with PDAC. METHODS: In total, 3949 patients who underwent surgery for PDAC during the study period followed by S-1 adjuvant chemotherapy in board-certified institutions were included. Based on the duration of S-1 chemotherapy, two subgroups were defined: a standard-duration group that included patients who were treated for 180 ± 30 days and a longer duration group that included patients who received treatment for >210 days. RESULTS: The median duration of S-1 chemotherapy was 167 days, with a mean ± standard deviation of 200 ± 193 days. After excluding patients who had a recurrence within 210 days after the initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy, postoperative recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) in the standard-duration group (n = 1473) and the longer duration group (n = 975) were compared. RFS and OS did not differ significantly between the standard-duration and longer duration groups (5-year RFS: 37.8% vs. 36.2% respectively; p = .6186; 5-year OS: 52.8% vs. 53.4%, respectively; p = .5850). The insignificant difference was verified by multivariate analysis and propensity-score matching analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The current findings suggest that extending S-1 adjuvant chemotherapy beyond 6 months has no significant additional effect on survival in patients with PDAC. This could be useful in determining whether to extend S-1 chemotherapy in patients who have completed the standard 6-month treatment.

Effect of intraoperative operating table rotation on lower limb perfusion index in patients in the lithotomy position.

We focused on "returning to the horizontal position," one of the measures for preventing well leg compartment syndrome implemented at our hospital, and aimed to clarify the effect of intraoperative positional changes by operating table rotation on blood perfusion in the lower extremities during lithotomy in patients under general anesthesia. This prospective observational study examined 64 patients scheduled to undergo general anesthesia in the lithotomy position from March 2021 to May 2022. The primary endpoint was the perfusion index (PI) of the lower limb before and after operating table rotation. The baseline lower limb PI before the operating table rotation was 2.376 (1.591), and the lower limb PI after the change from Trendelenburg to the horizontal position was as follows: immediately after, 2.123 (1.405); 5 minutes, 1.894 (1.138); 10 minutes, 1.915 (1.167); and 15 minutes, 1.993 (1.218). Compared with the baseline, no significant difference was noted in the change in the lower limb PI due to the Trendelenburg to horizontal positional change. The baseline lower leg pressure before the operating table rotation was 51.4 (13.4) mm Hg, and the lower leg pressure after the change from the Trendelenburg to the horizontal position was as follows: immediately after, 36.6 (10.3) mm Hg; 5 minutes, 36.5 (10.2) mm Hg; 10 minutes, 36.4 (10.0) mm Hg; and 15 minutes, 36.5 (10.2) mm Hg. Compared with the baseline, the change in lower leg pressure due to the Trendelenburg to horizontal positional change showed a significant decrease immediately afterward (P < .001). After operating table rotation from the Trendelenburg to the horizontal position, the lower limb PI did not change significantly after 15 min. However, lower leg pressure showed a significant decrease immediately after returning to the horizontal position. This result provides evidence for operating table rotation as a preventive measure for well leg compartment syndrome.

Application of laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy for normal anatomy after hiatal hernia repair: A case report.

We describe a case of pancreatic tumor associated with a giant type IV hiatal hernia that had prolapsed into the posterior mediastinum. Hiatal hernia repair should be performed first because it enables laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy to be performed in the normal anatomical position.

Hepatocellular carcinoma with situs inversus totalis treated by caudate lobectomy: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Situs inversus totalis (SIT) is a congenital anatomical variant in which organs and vasculature are positioned in a mirror-image relationship to the normal condition. Therefore, the surgical procedures need to be carefully planned with these factors in mind. CASE PRESENTATION: A 57-year-old man with SIT was diagnosed with a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and was planned for caudate lobectomy. As preoperative preparation, 3D reconstructed images were created based on the contrast-enhanced CT images, and careful simulations were performed on the vascular anomalies and location of the tumor. There was a replaced left hepatic artery forming a common trunk with a left gastric artery. In addition, using media player software, a previous caudate lobectomy video was played in right and left inverted mode to simulate the abdominal surgical field image in SIT. The operative time was 285 min, and the blood loss was 440 ml. The preoperative careful simulation allowed us to proceed with the surgery without significant discomfort. CONCLUSION: Even in the case of hepatocellular carcinoma with SIT, hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma can be safely performed by careful preoperative simulations.

Prognostic Impact of Relative Dose Intensity of Adjuvant Chemotherapy With S-1 on Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Although adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) with S-1 is currently the standard treatment for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) in Japan, the associations between its relative dose intensity (RDI) and survival outcomes remain unclear. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We reviewed 310 patients with PDAC who had undergone pancreatectomy from January 2014 to June 2020 at three institutions. Of these, patients who had received adjuvant S-1 monotherapy were analyzed. Patients who had died or developed recurrences within 6 months, or received neoadjuvant chemotherapy, were excluded from the analyses. Possible predictors of overall survival (OS), including RDI, were analyzed using Cox regression. The cutoff value for RDI was determined by receiver operating characteristic analysis. RESULTS: Ninety-four patients with a median age of 69 years (range=39-84 years) were analyzed. In the high-RDI group (RDI≥72.3%, n=74), the OS rates were 98.5% and 80.8% at 1 and 3 years, respectively, whereas in the low-RDI group (RDI <72.3%, n=20) they were 88.9% and 51.6%, respectively (p=0.001). By multivariate analysis, lymph node metastasis [hazard ratio (HR)=3.06; p=0.020], low RDI (HR=2.95; p=0.020), and time interval from surgery to initiation of AC > 51 days (HR=2.50; p=0.046) were independently associated with inferior OS. The combination of the latter two factors clearly stratified both OS and recurrence-free survival (p<0.001 and p=0.017, respectively). CONCLUSION: Early initiation and maintenance of RDI of S-1 monotherapy after pancreatectomy may improve the OS of PDAC patients.

A case of retroperitoneal abscess caused by infection of urachal remnant.

Infection of urachal remnant may cause recurrent abscesses. In the current case report, we describe a urachal remnant infection leading to a retroperitoneal abscess, which is an extremely rare condition. In such cases, the recommended treatment is urachal remnant resection.

Validity of a model using routinely collected data for identifying infections following gastric, colon, and liver cancer surgeries.

PURPOSE: Validating outcome measures is a prerequisite for using administrative databases for comparative effectiveness research. Although the Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination database is widely used in surgical studies, the outcome measure for postsurgical infection has not been validated. We developed a model to identify postsurgical infections using the routinely collected Diagnosis Procedure Combination data. METHODS: We retrospectively identified inpatients who underwent surgery for gastric, colon, or liver cancer between April 2016 and March 2018 at four hospitals. Chart reviews were conducted to identify postsurgical infections. We used bootstrap analysis with backwards variable elimination to select independent variables from routinely collected diagnosis and procedure data. Selected variables were used to create a score predicting the chart review-identified infections, and the performance of the score was tested. RESULTS: Among the 746 eligible patients, 96 patients (13%) had postoperative infections. Three variables were identified as predictors: diagnosis of infectious disease recorded as a complication arising after admission, addition of an intravenous antibiotic, and bacterial microscopy or culture. The prediction model had a C-statistic of 0.885 and pseudo-R2 of 0.358. A cut-off of one point of the score showed a sensitivity of 92% and specificity of 72%, and a cut-off of two points showed a sensitivity of 75% and specificity of 91%. CONCLUSIONS: Our model using routinely collected administrative data accurately identified postoperative infections. Further external validation would lead to the application of the model for research using administrative databases.

Evaluation of Preoperative Magnetic Resonance Cholangiopancreatography in Acute Cholecystitis to Predict Technical Difficulties in Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy.

Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) is a non-invasive imaging technique that provides high-quality visualization of the biliary tree, including the gallbladder. This study aimed to evaluate the useful-ness of preoperative MRCP for acute cholecystitis in predicting technical difficulties during laparoscopic chole-cystectomy (LC). A total of 168 patients who underwent LC with preoperative MRCP were enrolled in this study. Patients were divided into two groups according to preoperative MRCP findings: the visualized group (n = 126), in which the entire gallbladder could be visualized; and the non-visualized group (n = 42), in which the entire gallbladder could not be visualized. The perioperative characteristics and postoperative complica-tions of the two groups were retrospectively analyzed. Operation time was longer in the non-visualized group (median 101.5 vs. 143.5 min; p < 0.001). The non-visualized group had significantly more intraoperative blood loss than the visualized group (median 5 vs. 10 g; p = 0.05). The rate of conversion to open cholecystectomy was significantly higher in the non-visualized group (1.6 vs. 9.5%; p = 0.03). In conclusion, patients in the non- visualized group showed higher difficulty in performance of LC. Our MRCP-based classification is a simple and effective means of predicting difficulties in performing LC for acute cholecystitis.

Wandering spleen with splenic arteriovenous torsion.

Splenic arteriovenous torsion causes splenomegaly and ischemic necrosis of the spleen. The recommended treatment for wandering spleen with hypersplenism is considered to be splenectomy.

Carcinosarcoma of the Thoracic Esophagus That Presented as Focal Ulcerative Lesion.

Esophageal carcinosarcoma is a rare malignant tumor composed of both carcinomatous and sarcomatous elements. We report a case of esophageal carcinosarcoma in a 56-year-old woman with dysphagia. Esophageal ulcerative tumors were detected by endoscopy and resected by thoracoscopic esophagectomy. Carcinosarcoma was confirmed by the presence of both carcinomatous and sarcomatous tumor components. On immunohistochemistry, the sarcomatous area was positive for keratin staining, while the sarcomatous area was positive for vimentin staining. The tumor reportedly had a better prognosis than SCC of the esophagus, especially in terms of survival rate. The patient's disease was classified as ypT3N0M0, ypStage II. No definitive diagnosis was made preoperatively. We report this case along with a review of the literature.

Synchronous Total Occlusion of the Celiac Axis and Superior Mesenteric Artery: An Autopsy Case.

Acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI) is often caused by superior mesenteric artery (SMA) embolization. We report a rare case of synchronous celiac axis and SMA embolization in an elderly woman with initially mild abdominal pain. Ultimately, a second contrast-enhanced computed tomography revealed extensive necrosis from the stomach to the transverse colon together with liver ischemia due to hours of occlusion. Multiorgan failure made palliation the only option, and she died the following evening. Autopsy revealed a fragile atherosclerosis-asso-ciated thrombus. Careful examination and repeat diagnostic tests should be performed in patients with mild abdominal symptoms at risk for AMI.

Increased Expression of the lncRNA NRON Along With NFATc1/PIM-1 in Labial Salivary Glands of Sjögren's Syndrome Patients.

The aim of our study was to analyze the expressions of nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT)-related substances including long noncoding RNA NRON which participates in pathophysiology of Sjögren's syndrome (SS), and to assess the histologic findings in individuals with SS. In this study, the expressions of NRON, NFATc1, CD3/CD4, and proviral integration site for Moloney murine leukemia virus (PIM)-1 were examined by in situ hybridization, immunohistochemical analysis, and immunofluorescence in labial salivary glands (LSGs) obtained from 16 patients with SS and five controls. The microcell count method has been applied to calculate the NFATc1-positive area/infiltrating cell area in LSGs, and we compared those results to the infiltrating cell area, focus score, serum immunoglobulin G, and the European League Against Rheumatism Sjögren's Syndrome Disease Activity Index. The NRON expression in the nuclei of cell-infiltration lesions of the SS patients were prominent. The NFATc1 expression was strong in the cytoplasm of infiltrating mononuclear cells and weak in ducts of both SS and controls. In SS, the NFATc1-positive area/infiltrating cell area was positively correlated with the infiltrating cell area and focus score. CD3/CD4 was expressed in infiltrating mononuclear cells, and PIM-1 colocalized with NFATc1 in the cytoplasm. These results suggest NRON along with NFATc1/PIM-1 in SS LSGs might participate in SS pathophysiology.

Pretreatment Absolute Lymphocyte Count and Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte Ratio Are Prognostic Factors for Stage III Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Stage III breast cancer comprises a broad spectrum of disease, including the extent of supraclavicular/internal mammary lymph node metastasis. In this study, we evaluated the usefulness of the absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in predicting the prognosis of patients with stage III breast cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Seventy-five patients with stage III breast cancer who underwent surgery were included. We compared their clinicopathological factors according to the presence or not of supraclavicular/internal mammary lymph node metastasis, and pretreatment ALC or NLR. RESULTS: Patients with metastasis of the studied lymph nodes had a poorer prognosis in comparison to those without metastasis. In patients without these types of lymph node metastasis, both the ALC and NLR were predictive factors for relapse-free and overall survival. Among these patients, those with a low ALC or high NLR had recurrence-free and overall survival comparable to those of patients with supraclavicular/internal mammary lymph node metastasis. CONCLUSION: Pretreatment ALC and NLR were prognostic factors for patients with stage III breast cancer.

A case of cystic duct syndrome.

In the diagnosis of gallbladder induced pain without gallstones, drip-infusion cholangiographic computed tomography, and endoscopic retrograde cholangiography are useful in differentiating cystic duct syndrome.

Aberrant common hepatic artery from the left gastric artery and with no connection to the gastroduodenal artery: Risky vascular anomaly in gastrectomy.

Knowledge of anatomical variations of the celiac axis is important in upper abdominal surgery. Aberrant common hepatic artery originating from the left gastric artery without connecting the gastroduodenal artery is extremely rare. Preoperative vascular anatomy assessment using reconstructions of CT images may be useful for safe surgical procedure.