[A Case of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy with Modified FOLFOXIRI plus Bevacizumab for Transverse Colon Cancer with Invasion of the Gastric Antrum].

A 66-year-old male diagnosed with transverse colon cancer was admitted to our hospital. Computed tomography, colonoscopy, and esophagogastroduodenoscopy revealed locally advanced cancer with invasion of the gastric antrum. We staged the disease as cT4a, cN2, cM0, Stage ⅢB, with wild-type RAS expression. We performed an ileostomy prior to administering chemotherapy. The patient received 4 courses of modified FOLFOXIRI plus bevacizumab and 2 courses of FOLFIRI. The size of the tumor noticeably decreased after chemotherapy. The patient experienced grade 3 neutropenia, anorexia, and oral mucositis during chemotherapy. We performed a right hemicolectomy(D3), partial gastrectomy and ileum resection after administering neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The pathological stage of the disease was ypT2, ypN0, ypM0, ypStageⅠ, and the effect of the chemotherapy was Grade 1b. After the resection, he received mFOLFOX6 and CapeOX for 3 months as adjuvant chemotherapy. He remained cancer-free for 1 year and 3 months after the surgery. This result suggests that preoperative modified FOLFOXIRI plus bevacizumab chemotherapy is a useful regimen for the treatment of locally advanced colon cancer.

Submucosal tumor-like lesion originating from colon tuberculosis: a case report and review of the literature.

A 76-year-old male had a solitary submucosal tumor-like lesion in the sigmoid colon originating from tuberculosis. The lesion, up to 1 cm in diameter, was found incidentally during a routine colonoscopy, which revealed a protuberant submucosal growth with a shallow depression of the overlying mucosa in the center of the tumor. Histologically, the endoscopic biopsy revealed caseating granulomas and infiltration of Langhans giant cells and epithelioid cells, consistent with tuberculosis, were also observed. Five reports of similar lesions from colon tuberculosis were found in a literature review, including the present case. In all cases, the submucosal tumor-like lesions which originated from tuberculosis were small and in an active stage of tuberculosis. Five cases of submucosal tumor-like lesions from gastric tuberculosis were also reported, with characteristics very similar to those of the lesions from colon tuberculosis. Therefore, we propose that lesions originating from tuberculosis should be included in the differential diagnosis of submucosal tumor-like lesions in the colon and stomach.

Maximum standardized uptake value in 18F-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography is associated with advanced tumor factors in esophageal cancer.

Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) with 18F-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose (FDG-PET/CT) has become established in cancer imaging, and derived maximum standardized uptake values (SUVmax) add functional information regarding cancer, including esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). The aim of the present study was to determine the clinical significance and association of tumor progression using SUVmax derived from PET/CT images in patients with ESCC. In total, 101 patients with ESCC were assessed using FDG-PET/CT and the SUVmax was then compared with the clinical backgrounds and prognoses of the patients. Endoscopic ESCC biopsy specimens were obtained in order to analyze mRNA expression relative to tumor progression. The results showed that values for SUVmax were significantly higher in patients with tumor progression factors, particularly those with lymph node metastasis. Analysis of receiver operating characteristics curves revealed an optimum SUVmax cut-off value of 10.26 for node-positive disease. Patients with SUVmax ≥10.26 had gene alterations with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and significantly worse overall survival (P=0.0012). A higher SUVmax in patients with ESCC was associated with lymph node metastasis and a poorer prognosis. Thus, the SUVmax may reflect the potential of EMT in patients with ESCC.

Des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin identified by P-11 and P-16 antibodies reflects prognosis for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Serum des-γ-carboxy prothrombin (DCP) is an established tumor marker in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which can be identified by using MU-3 antibody. The MU-3 antibody mainly reacts with the 9-10 glutamic acid residues of DCP (conventional DCP). Since other variants of DCP with fewer glutamic acid residues can be detected using P-11 and P-16 antibodies (code name: NX-PVKA), we examined the clinical characteristics associated with NX-PVKA, and whether NX-PVKA is a useful measure in HCC patients. METHODS: Participants comprised 197 HCC patients admitted to our hospital between 2001 and 2010. NX-PVKA, conventional DCP, alpha-fetoprotein, and L3 fraction of alpha-fetoprotein were measured prior to initiation of HCC treatment. RESULTS: Of the tumor markers assessed, NX-PVKA was the only significant predictor of prognosis (hazard ratio, 81.32; P < 0.0001). Patients with NX-PVKA level ≥ 100 mAU/mL showed significantly lower survival rates (P < 0.0001). NX-PVKA level was also significantly associated with platelet count, prothrombin time, C-reactive protein, sex, maximum tumor size, number of nodules, and portal venous invasion by HCC. Finally, using NX-PVKA level and other clinical parameters, we established a prognostic model to estimate patient survival time. CONCLUSIONS: NX-PVKA offers the best marker of tumor prognosis among HCC patients, and is strongly associated with tumor factors and hepatic functional reserve. NX-PVKA could be useful for clinical evaluation of tumor severity, as well as the estimated duration of survival among patients with HCC.

Complete response of a patient with advanced primary splenic histiocytic sarcoma by treatment with chemotherapeutic drugs selected using the collagen gel droplet-embedded culture drug sensitivity test.

A 69-year-old man presented with multiple nodules on the spleen and liver that had been detected by computed tomography (CT). A liver tumor biopsy was performed, and the patient was diagnosed to have histiocytic sarcoma (HS). Splenectomy was performed, and the chemosensitivity of the spleen tumor was measured using the collagen gel droplet-embedded culture drug sensitivity test (CD-DST). Hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy was administered, based on the results of the CD-DST. The patient achieved complete remission (CR) after this therapy and remained alive without recurrence at the final follow-up. This is the first known case of CR in response to chemotherapy for advanced splenic HS.

[Gemcitabine plus S-1 combination therapy (GS therapy) for pancreatic cancer patients with high-grade hepatic metastasis].

Pancreatic cancer shows the worst prognosis among the solid tumors, and survival for patients with high-grade liver metastasis is estimated at around a few months. We reported the effects of combination therapy with gemcitabine and S-1 (GS therapy) on pancreatic cancer patients with high-grade hepatic metastasis. Patients with severe metastatic pancreatic cancer received chemotherapy comprising S-1 (30mg/m² p.o. b.i.d., days 1-14) and gemcitabine (1000mg/m² on days 1 and 8), repeated every 3 weeks. Fourteen patients (7 men, 7 women) received treatment at a mean age of 56.5 years (range, 39-76 years), achieving complete response in 1 patient, partial response in 5 patients, and stable disease in 3 patients and progressive disease in 5 patients. The response rate was thus 43%. Median progression-free survival was 186 days (95% confidence interval, 40-247 days). Median overall survival was 261 days (95% confidence interval, 162-358 days). GS therapy appears to be well-tolerated and effective in patients with high-grade hepatic metastasis.