Minimally invasive esophagectomy for esophageal cancer: techniques and outcomes.

Despite recent improvements in diagnosis, surgical treatment and neo-adjuvant therapy, patients with esophageal cancer have poor prognosis with overall 5-year survival rates of 5-15%.Esophagectomy is the standard treatment for resectable esophageal cancer, but only one third of patients are considered candidates for cure. Minimally invasive techniques have been attempted to improve the postoperative outcomes in such a surgical procedure with high postoperative morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this review is to analyze the minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) techniques in the early-stage esophageal carcinoma. MIE is still crowed with heterogeneous studies with several different techniques. MIE comparing to open esophagectomy procedures have less morbidity with less overall in-hospital incidence of pulmonary infections and shorter duration of ICU admission. In addition,MIE techniques preserve the quality of life better than the open procedures, with faster postoperative recovery.

The role of ex-vivo gene therapy of vein grafts with Egr-1 decoy in the suppression of intimal hyperplasia.

OBJECTIVES: To test the hypothesis that vein graft intimal hyperplasia can be significantly suppressed by a single intra-operative transfection of the graft with a decoy oligonucleotide (ODN) binding the transcription factor Egr-1. DESIGN: Experimental study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Jugular vein to carotid artery interposition grafts in rabbits were treated with Egr-1 decoy, mutant decoy ODN, vehicle alone, using a non-distending pressure of 300 mm Hg for 20 min, or were left untreated. All animals were fed a 2% cholesterol diet. The animals were sacrificed after 48h, 6 weeks and 12 weeks. Paraffin-embedded vein sections were subjected to angiometric analysis. RESULTS: Successful delivery of the ODN was confirmed by DAPI staining. Quantitative real-time PCR revealed a 60% decrease of the Egr-1 gene expression in the animals in which the Egr-1 decoy ODN was delivered. Cellular proliferation was also significantly decreased as indicated by the Ki-67 labelling index. An increase in intimal and medial thickness was found in all vein grafts. However, intimal thickness was significantly reduced in the grafts treated with Egr-1 decoy ODN, whereas luminal area was significantly increased. CONCLUSION: A single intra-operative pressure-mediated transfection of vein grafts with Egr-1 decoy ODN significantly suppresses intimal hyperplasia in a rabbit hypercholesterolaemic model.

Carboplatin/gemcitabine alternating with carboplatin/pegylated liposomal doxorubicin and carboplatin/cyclophosphamide in platinum-refractory/resistant paclitaxel - pretreated ovarian carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: In this phase II study the efficacy and toxicity of an alternating chemotherapy regimen was examined in platinum-resistant relapsed epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) patients. METHODS: Forty-five patients with platinum-refractory/resistant relapsed EOC, previously treated with carboplatin+paclitaxel+/-epirubicin were included. The regimen was consisted of gemcitabine 800 mg/m(2) (days 1+8) and carboplatin AUC 5, alternating with pegylated liposomal doxorubicin 30 mg/m(2) and carboplatin AUC 5, alternating with carboplatin AUC 5 and cyclophosphamide 600 mg/m(2), every 3 weeks for a total of 9 cycles. RESULTS: Among 38 patients with measurable disease, 39.4% (95% CI: 23.2-55.7) responded (five complete response and 10 partial response), while 30 out of 40 (75%) patients assessable by CA125 criteria had a serological response. Responses were more frequent in patients with platinum-free interval (PFI) 3-6 months than in those with PFI 0-3 months, but this was not statistically-significant. After a median follow-up of 19.5 months (range, 1.0-37+ months) the median progression-free survival was 7.1 months (95% CI: 3.4-10.8) and the median survival (OS) was 18.8 months (95% CI: 15.6-22.0). For patients with PFI 0-3 months PFS was 4.3 (95% CI: 0.8-7.8) months, while for those with PFI 3-6 months PFS was 8.9 (95% CI: 5.3-12.4) months (p=0.062). The regimen was well-tolerated and the main grade 3-4 toxicity was myelosuppression, palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia, allergy and fatigue. CONCLUSION: This alternating regimen, including carboplatin, gemcitabine, liposomal doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide, is an active and well-tolerated treatment in platinum relapsed/refractory EOC patients.

Gastric metastases originating from breast cancer: report of 8 cases and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer metastasis to the stomach is rare. It is very important to distinguish a breast cancer metastasis to the stomach from a primary gastric cancer on the basis of clinical, endoscopic, radiological and histopathological features, in order to administer the appropriate treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eight patients with breast cancer metastasis to the stomach were identified in our database between 1995 and 2008. The clinicopathological data and outcome from the medical records of these patients were then reviewed. RESULTS: The median age at initial breast cancer diagnosis was 59.5 years (range 44-75 years), while the median interval between the primary breast cancer and the gastric involvement was 41 months (range 2-82 months). The primary breast cancer histological subtype was mostly lobular carcinoma. All the biopsy specimens were estrogen receptor (ER), cytokeratin (CK) 7 and gross cystic disease fluid protein-15 (GCDFP-15) positive and CK-20 negative, while two of them (25%) were HER-2-neu positive. All the patients received chemotherapy and two of them were also treated with hormonal treatment. Two patients underwent surgical intervention, while one patient who had gastric involvement as the only metastatic site will proceed to surgical resection of the stomach. All these three patients were alive after 9, 39 and 44 months of follow-up, respectively. The response rate to chemotherapy was 50% (1 complete response [CR], 3 partial responses [PR]), and the median survival was 11 months (range, 1-44+ months). CONCLUSION: Breast cancer metastasis to the stomach can be differentiated from primary gastric cancer by comparing the biopsies from the gastric metastasis with the original histological slides from the primary breast tumor. Appropriate systemic treatment for metastatic breast carcinoma is the preferred treatment, whereas surgical intervention should be reserved for palliation or may be indicated in cases of solitary resectable gastrointestinal tract metastases.

Primary fallopian tube carcinoma: results of a retrospective analysis of 64 patients.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this retrospective study was to determine the clinical outcomes of patients with primary fallopian tube carcinoma (PFTC) treated with paclitaxel and platinum analogue-based combination chemotherapy following primary cytoreductive surgery. METHODS: Sixty-four patients with the diagnosis of PFTC were identified through the gynecology service database and the tumor registry of 4 different institutions. The majority of patients (48/64, 75%) were treated with carboplatin AUC (area under curve) 6 and paclitaxel 175 mg/m(2) as a 3 h infusion. RESULTS: Among 28 patients with measurable disease, we observed 19 (68%) complete clinical and 7 (25%) partial responses for an overall response rate of 93%. After a median follow-up of 40 months (3+-134+ months), the 5-year survival rate of the entire population was 70% (median overall survival [mOS] not reached) and the median time to tumor progression (mTTP) was 81 months (95% CI: 53-109). Stage and residual disease were of prognostic significance. The mTTP was not reached in patients with stage I/II and was 38 months for patients with stage III/IV (p=0.004). The mOS for patients with stage I/II was not reached, whereas it was 62 months for those with stage III/IV (p=0.057). The mTTP was 86 and 23 months for patients with residual disease <2 cm and >2 cm, respectively (p<0.001). The mOS was not reached for patients with residual disease <2 cm, while it was 36 months for residual disease >2 cm (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Optimally cytoreduced patients with PFTC treated with platinum and paclitaxel-based chemotherapy regimen have an excellent possibility of survival.

Testicular function in poor-risk nonseminomatous germ cell tumors treated with methotrexate, paclitaxel, ifosfamide, and cisplatin combination chemotherapy.

Our objective was to investigate the impact of methotrexate, paclitaxel, ifosfamide, and cisplatin (M-TIP) on long-term fertility in poor-risk nonseminomatous germ cell tumors (NSGCT). Thirty patients with poor-risk NSGCT (median age, 29 years; range, 17-62 years) were treated with methotrexate 250 mg/m(2) with folinic acid rescue (day 1) and paclitaxel 175 mg/m(2) (day 1), followed by ifosfamide 1.2 g/m(2) and cisplatin 20 mg/m(2) (days 2-6). Treatment consisted of 4 cycles of M-TIP administered every 3 weeks. Twenty-one patients were continuously disease-free at a median follow-up of 5.3 years (range, 0.9-8.4 years). Sperm count and hormonal analyses were examined prechemotherapy (30 patients) and postchemotherapy (21 patients). Counts were classified as follows: lower than 1 x 10(6)/mL, azoospermia; 1-20 x 10(6)/mL, oligospermia (OS); higher than 20 x 10(6)/mL, normospermia (NS). Patients were followed for a median of 2.3 years (range, 0.9-3.8 years) postchemotherapy. The prechemotherapy median luteinizing hormone (LH) serum levels were slightly above the upper normal limit, whereas the serum levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and testosterone (T) were within the reference interval. Eleven (52.3%) patients had NS prechemotherapy. Among the patients with NS, 72.7% still had NS following chemotherapy. Overall, 17 of 21 (80.9%; 33.3% OS and 47.6% NS) patients had recovery of spermatogenesis after treatment. The median FSH serum levels were significantly elevated at least 1 year postchemotherapy when compared with the pretreatment levels. Eighteen months after the completion of chemotherapy the median FSH levels had returned to the reference limits. Serum LH and T levels were unaffected by chemotherapy. Prior to chemotherapy 4 of 30 patients had fathered 5 children. Since completion of chemotherapy, 5 patients have fathered 5 children. The majority of men with poor-risk germ cell tumors who were treated with the M-TIP regimen demonstrated recovery spermatogenesis after treatment, and Leydig cell function was unaffected.

Acute septic cholelithiasic cholecystitis and adenocarcinoma of the gallbladder; an interesting association.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Primary carcinoma of the gallbladder may present as acute lithiasic cholecystitis that leads to severe septic complications. The correlation between severe sepsis of the gallbladder and primary carcinoma is unclear. The goal of the present study is to examine the relation between severe septic complications of lithiasic cholecystitis and primary carcinoma of the gallbladder. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A group of 72 patients (22 males, 50 females, age range: 45-99, mean age: 68.6 years), with severe septic cholelithiasic cholecystitis was treated with emergency surgery after failure of conservative treatment, and patients found with primary carcinoma of the gallbladder were registered. The resectability and operability of the tumor were studied, as well as tumor staging and overall patient survival. RESULTS: During urgent surgery for severe septic lithiasic cholecystitis, 12 patients (12/72, 16.6%) were found with gallbladder carcinoma. Patients with septic acute lithiasic cholecystitis and carcinoma had a higher mean age compared to those without carcinoma (74.8 vs. 67.4 yrs). Eleven of 12 (91.6%) carcinomas were inoperable, despite resectability of 8 out of 12 (66.6%), and overall patient survival was limited to a few months after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Severe septic complications in elderly patients with a long-standing history of gallbladder stones may co-exist with primary carcinoma of the gallbladder. The percentage of a gallbladder carcinoma detected in septic patients reaches up to 16.6%. Even if these patients have a poor general health, surgical intervention is a solution when they appear with severe septic clinical symptoms caused by gallstones or carcinoma, in order to avoid lethal sepsis. The possibility of a carcinoma hidden in the gallbladder must be in mind during surgery. Imaging studies before surgery may detect the carcinoma; in most cases carcinomas are inoperable, although colecystectomy may be performed during surgery.

Thoracoabdominal wall tumour seeding after percutaneous radiofrequency ablation for recurrent colorectal liver metastatic lesion: a case report with a brief literature review.

Radiofrequency is a safe and effective minimally invasive procedure in the treatment of liver and other organs neoplastic lesions. Percutaneous access of neoplastic liver tissue is the most common access and electrodes are placed with imaging guidance into the tumour to be ablated. Complications during and after radiofrequency ablation (RFA) are of major or minor severity. Tumour dissemination related to the percutaneous access seems to be very unusual. Herein, we present a rare case of thoracoabdominal tumour wall dissemination after RFA of a recurrent hepatic colorectal metastasis previously removed by surgery. A 64-year-old man with a recurrent hepatic metastatic lesion was treated with internally cooled radiofrequency (RF) for ablation of a 3x3 cm in size tumour mass. Two sessions of RFA in one-month period were performed. Computed tomography (CT) of the upper abdomen and carcinoembryonic (CEA) antigen were used for estimation of the disease progression in the patient's follow-up. Ten months after RFA the patient presented abdominal pain and a mass appeared on the right thoracoabdominal area with simultaneous lung metastases. In conclusion, a large size, bulky and superficial mass on the liver parenchyma adjacent to the thoracoabdominal wall as well as multiple RFA sessions, seem to represent risk factors for tumour dissemination through the needle electrode used during the RFA procedure in hepatic metastases of colorectal cancer.

Limberg flap reconstruction for the treatment of pilonidal sinus disease.

Pilonidal disease is a common chronic disorder of the sacrococcygeal area affecting young people. Recent reports have advocated different surgical approaches, such as open or closed technique, but recurrence complicates all forms of treatment. We conducted this case review to evaluate the validity of Limberg flap reconstruction method in the treatment of chronic recurrent pilonidal disease. In the period between September 2003 and December 2004, 32 male patients with complicated/recurrent pilonidal disease were operated on using the Limberg flap reconstruction method. The patients' mean age was 26.4 + 1.6 years (range 19-47 years). All patients fared well, had a satisfactory wound healing, had minimal pain and were mobilized immediately after surgery. They stayed at hospital for 6 to 32 hours. No patient had serious wound infection or flap ischemia. They all returned to normal activity within 4 to 12 days. Follow-up ranged between 14 and 28 months. No patient had recurrence during the above period. Limberg flap reconstruction has several advantages compared to the classical surgical methods for the treatment of pilonidal disease. The patients have a short hospital stay, are mobilized soon after surgery and have a minimal morbidity and recurrence rate.

Leucovorin and 5-fluorouracil versus levamisole and 5-fluorouracil as adjuvant chemotherapy in rectal cancer.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effectiveness of 6-month therapy with leucovorin (LV)+5-fluorouracil (5-FU) versus 12-month therapy with levamisole (LVS)+5-FU, as adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with completely resected Aster-Coller stage B(2) or C(1)/C(2) rectal cancer (RC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred and fifty patients with surgically resected RC were enrolled. Seventy patients with stage B(2) and 80 with stage C were randomly assigned to adjuvant chemotherapy with 5-FU+LXx6 months or 5-FU+LVSx12 months. Patient characteristics were equally balanced between the examined groups. Adjuvant chemotherapy consisted of LV 20 mg/m(2) intravenously (i.v.) plus 5-FU 450 mg/m(2) i.v. bolus every week plus LVS tablets 50 mg t.i.dx3 days every 2 weeks for 1 year. RESULTS: After a median follow up for survivors of 8.7 years (range 1.8-10.5), all of the patients were evaluable. There were no significant differences between the two treatment groups with respect to the recurrence rates (p=0.821). Moreover, there were no significant differences between the two tratment groups in disease-free survival (DFS) (p=0.84) [B(2)(p=0.805) and C (p=0.978)] and overall survival (OS) rates for patients of either stage B(2) or C (p=0.78). Toxicities were more frequent in the 5-FU+LVS versus 5-FU+LV group: myelosuppression (grade 3 leucopenia, 12 versus 4%, p<0.04), diarrhea (grade 0, 60 versus 76%, p<0.02), and liver toxicity (increase of transaminases >3-fold, 12 patients versus 2, p<0.03.). No patient stopped chemotherapy because of toxicity, and there were no treatment-related deaths. CONCLUSION: Adjuvant chemotherapy in RC with LV+5-FU for 6 months is equally effective and less toxic than LVS+5-FU for 12 months.

Non-parasitic splenic cysts: a report of three cases.

Primary splenic cyst is a relatively rare disease, and the majority of cases are classified as epithelial cysts. Three cases with nonparasitic splenic cysts are presented: two epithelial and one pseudocyst. All cases had an atypical symptomatology, consisted mainly of fullness in the left upper abdomen and a palpable mass. Preoperative diagnosis was established with ultrasonography and computerized tomography. Two cases with large cysts located in the splenic hilum were treated with open complete splenectomy. The most recent case, a pseudocyst, was managed laparoscopically with partial cystectomy. All cases did not have any problems or recurrence during follow-up. Laparoscopic partial cystectomy is an acceptable procedure for the treatment of splenic cysts, because it cures the disease preserving the splenic tissue. Complete splenectomy is reserved for cases in which cyst excision cannot be done otherwise.

Irinotecan (CPT-11) in patients with advanced colon carcinoma relapsing after 5-fluorouracil-leucovorin combination.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the association between performance status (PS) and mean dose of irinotecan (CPT-11) in patients with recurrent advanced colorectal cancer relapsing after 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin chemotherapy. Patients who had completed their last chemotherapy course with 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin for at least 6 weeks and progressed were included. Based on PS, we administered a starting dose of 250 mg/m(2) in patients with a PS 70-80 (group A), and 350 mg/m(2) for those with a PS > 80 (group B). Of a total of 90 treated patients, all were evaluable, 18 had a partial response (PR) (20%), 39 stable disease (43%), and 15 progressed (37%). No significant difference was noticed between patients with PS > or = 90 or < or = 80 (p = 0.925), or between those who received a mean dose of CPT-11 > or = 300 or < or = 300 (p = 0.602), for response, survival and time to progression. Toxicity was increased in group B as expected, with significant differences for acute cholinergic syndrome (p = 0.02), diarrhea after the first 24 h (p = 0.03) and severe diarrhea (p = 0.03). According to these results, we conclude that response to CPT-11 is independent of its dose, and that a dose of 250 mg/m(2) every 3 weeks might be a cost-effective and less toxic alternative in this setting. However, further adequately powered phase II or III randomized studies might be required in order to confirm this observation.

Effects of cefepime and meropenem on the gastrointestinal colonization of surgical patients by Candida albicans.

BACKGROUND: The study evaluated the effects of cefepime and meropenem on the gastrointestinal (GI) colonization of surgical patients by Candida albicans. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty adult surgical patients who received intravenously either of these antibiotics as monotherapy for the treatment of an existing infection were studied prospectively. Ten patients received cefepime (2.0 g twice a day), and another ten meropenem (1.0 g every 8 h) for 7 days. Quantitative stool cultures for C. albicans were performed immediately before, at the end, and 1 week after the end of antibiotic treatment. RESULTS: Both antibiotics increased the GI colonization of patients by Candida. Meropenem caused a higher increase (2.0 log(10) CFU/g of stool) as compared to cefepime (1.7 log(10) CFU/g of stool). However, these increases were statistically not significant. CONCLUSION: Cefepime and meropenem when given to sensitive patients do not increase significantly the risk of Candida infection originating in the GI tract.

Rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm following acute descending thoracic aortic dissection. Case report.

The coexistence of an abdominal aortic aneurysm and an acute aortic dissection seems to be rare and only a few reports are to be found in the literature. We report a case of a patient with acute aortic dissection of the descending thoracic aorta that caused rupture of a pre-existing abdominal aortic aneurysm. The literature is also thoroughly reviewed.

Effect of cefamandole, cefuroxime and cefoxitin on yeast fecal flora of surgical patients.

Aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of cefamandole, cefuroxime and cefoxitin on the level of gastrointestinal (GI) colonization by Candida albicans in humans. Twenty-eight adult patients received one of these three cephalosporins for 10 days, as treatment of infection, and were studied prospectively. Quantitative stool cultures for yeasts were performed immediately before, at the end, and 1 week after discontinuation of treatment. All three antibiotics caused an increase of the yeast concentration in the fecal flora. The increase caused by cefoxitin was the highest (2.5 log10 CFU/g of stool). Our results suggest that the cephalosporins tested cause minor increases of the colonization of the GI tract by C. albicans.