Hiromitsu Maehira

A rare case of primary choriocarcinoma in the sigmoid colon

Primary colorectal choriocarcinoma is an extremely rare neoplasm and is usually associated with a poor prognosis. Only 13 cases of colorectal choriocarcinoma have previously been reported. There is no standard chemotherapeutic regimen for this tumor type. A 68-year-old man presented with melena and was diagnosed with sigmoid colonic adenocarcinoma with multiple liver metastases. He underwent a laparoscopic sigmoidectomy. Pathology revealed choriocarcinoma with a focal component of moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma of colon origin. Based on the collagen gel droplet-embedded culture drug sensitivity test (CD-DST) results, mFOLFOX6 and bevacizumab were administered, which suppressed aggressive tumor growth for 4 mo. The patient died 9 mo after the initial diagnosis. Our study results suggest that the standard chemotherapy regimen for colorectal cancer might have suppressive effects against primary colorectal choriocarcinoma. Moreover, CD-DST may provide, at least in part, therapeutic insight for the selection of appropriate antitumor agents for such patients.

Lymphoepithelial cyst with sebaceous glands of the pancreas: a case report

BackgroundLymphoepithelial cyst (LEC) of the pancreas is a rare benign tumor. LEC with sebaceous glands of the pancreas is extremely rare, and its histogenesis remains unclear.Case presentationWe present a 66-year-old man with an incidental finding of a cystic lesion at the neck of the pancreas. Pancreatic juice cytology results and elevated serum carbohydrate antigen 19-9 and Dupan-2 levels indicated that the cyst was a potential adenocarcinoma. Therefore, a pancreaticoduodenectomy was performed. Macroscopically, the tumor was a unilocular cyst with a thin transparent wall, filled with soft yellow material. Pathological findings showed that the cyst was lined with squamous epithelium, accompanied by dense lymphoid tissue with scattered germinal centers. There were no hair follicles, but sebaceous glands were present in the lymphoid tissue just beneath the squamous epithelium. Therefore, the histopathological diagnosis was an LEC with sebaceous glands of the pancreas. Furthermore, the squamous epithelium surrounding the cyst was pathologically continuous with the tubular structure, indicating that the tubular structure transitioned into the squamous epithelium.ConclusionsWe report an extremely rare case of LEC with sebaceous glands of the pancreas. Moreover, the pathological findings, which showed that the tubular structure transitioned into the squamous epithelium, suggested that this was squamous metaplasia. In order to investigate the histogenesis of LEC of the pancreas, the pathological findings must be evaluated.

Aberrant Right Posterior Hepatic Duct

A 64-year-old man visited Shiga University of Medical Science Hospital with complaints of tenderness from the right hypochondrium to the epigastrium. Computed tomography with drip infusion cholangiography (DIC-CT) showed aberrant right posterior hepatic duct (ARPHD) draining into the extrahepatic bile duct (Picture 1, 2). We diagnosed him with cholecystitis complicated with a biliary anomaly, wherein the rear section branch merged into the common bile duct on the duodenum side from the confluence part of the cystic duct. This type of anatomical abnormality is very rare (frequency: 0.19%) (1). Laparoscopic cholecystectomy was performed, and no postoperative complications were observed. Anatomical abnormalities in the biliary tract cause biliary tract injury during cholecystectomy. In our case, preoperative diagnostic imaging by DIC-CT was useful for preventing biliary tract injury due to the misidentification of an ARPHD as a cystic duct (1, 2).

A pilot study: The association between physical activity level using by accelerometer and postoperative complications after hepatic resection

Recently, accelerometers measuring physical activity level have been available to the public. In the present study, it was examined whether the accelerometer could evaluate postoperative outcomes for 12 patients subjected to hepatic resection from August-November 2016. The association was evaluated between the changing pattern of activity level until the postoperative day (POD) 7 and the occurrence of postoperative complications. The median age of patients was 79 years (range, 58-85). Postoperative complications were identified in 6 patients. The activity level in patients with complications was low from POD 1 and was significantly lower than patients without complications following POD 6. The changing pattern of activity level with all included patients could be divided into the following 3 types: Increase type, bell curve type and flat type. Patients without complications exhibited an accelerated increase of postoperative activity level, categorized as increase type. Bell curve type and flat type demonstrated delay of recovery in postoperative activity levels, and were suggested to be associated with the occurrence of postoperative complications. These findings may provide rationale for larger sample studies to evaluate whether physical activity level measured via accelerometer may be a surrogate marker for postoperative complications.

Synchronous primary gallbladder and pancreatic cancer associated with congenital biliary dilatation and pancreaticobiliary maljunction

IntroductionSynchronous double cancer of the gallbladder and pancreas that is associated with congenital biliary dilatation (CBD) and pancreaticobiliary maljunction (PBM) is extremely rare. PBM is frequently reported in Asia, particularly in Japan. We report a surgical case of synchronous double cancer in a patient with primary gallbladder and pancreatic cancer.Presentation of caseA 72-year-old woman with epigastralgia underwent subtotal stomach-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy and gallbladder bed resection for synchronous primary gallbladder and pancreatic head cancer. Histopathological examination revealed moderately differentiated ductal adenocarcinoma of the pancreatic head and well-differentiated tubular adenocarcinoma at the bottom of the gallbladder.ConclusionSynchronous gallbladder and pancreatic cancer is extremely rare. It is necessary to determine the optimal surgical course taking into consideration the degree of tumor progression. This is the second case of synchronous primary gallbladder and pancreatic cancer associated with CBD accompanied by PBM.

Brief Aripiprazole-induced Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome with Symptoms that Only Lasted a Few Hours

Neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) with characteristic symptoms is a potentially lethal reaction to antipsychotic drugs. Atypical NMS usually lacks major symptoms and frequently occurs after treatment using atypical antipsychotics, such as aripiprazole. A 64-year-old man developed aripiprazole-induced NMS after surgery, and our early recognition of the NMS was based on high creatine kinase levels and low serum iron levels. His characteristic symptoms (a fever, rigidity, and altered mental status) were only present for a few hours and were resolved by aripiprazole discontinuation and supportive care. Aripiprazole-induced NMS can present with brief but major symptoms, and clinicians may overlook this “brief” appearance of NMS.

Lymphoepithelioma-Like Cholangiocarcinoma Associated With HCV: A Case Report and a Review of the Literature

Lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma is a particular form of undifferentiated carcinoma characterized by a prominent lymphoid stroma that was originally described in the nasopharynx. We present a case of hepatitis C virus (HCV)–associated lymphoepithelioma-like cholangiocarcinoma (LEL-CC), located at the liver, in a patient with history of malignancy. A 79-year-old man underwent partial hepatectomy with lymphadenectomy for a suspected metastasis of colon cancer 2.5 years after hemicolectomy for advanced colon cancer followed by adjuvant chemotherapy. The resected tumor was diagnosed as LEL-CC via a distinct histologic pattern with dense lymphoplasma cell infiltration. According to the available literature, our report describes a rare cases of HCV-associated LEL-CC that coexisted with other malignancy and that was associated with survival for more than 3 years after surgery, suggesting that surgical resection may be the recommended therapeutic option for LEL-CC to provide a definitive diagnosis as well as obta...