Kenji Tezuka

Lymphangioma of the Lesser Omentum Associated with Abdominal Esophageal Carcinoma: Report of a Case

Abstract A case of lymphangioma of the lesser omentum associated with abdominal esophageal carcinoma is described herein. The patient was a 54-year-old man who initially presented with dysphagia. Gastrointestinal fiberscopy (GIF) revealed an esophageal carcinoma and abdominal computed tomography (CT) detected a 3-cm, low-density lesion on the median aspect of the fornix, which was diagnosed as a metastatic lymph node. A radical operation was performed to resect the esophageal carcinoma, and a cystic lesion the size of a hens egg was found in the lesser omentum of the stomach. The cystic lesion, which contained serous fluid, was unilocular and attached to the serosa of the stomach. The histological diagnosis was omental lymphangioma. Our review of the Japanese literature revealed 29 cases of lesser omental lymphangioma, but only two of these were associated with an advanced malignant tumor. Although the etiology of omental lymphangioma is unclear, the findings in our case suggested that obstruction of the lymphatic vessels invaded by the esophageal carcinoma may be one of the causes of this disease.

Ultrasonic Screening of the Thyroid in Patients with Breast Complaints

From 1994 until 2002, we performed 6956 ultrasonic screenings of the thyroid for all patients who received breast examination by ultrasonography. We discovered 14 thyroid cancers (0.32%) from 4327 cases with breast complaints. The incidence of thyroid cancer with breast cancer (0.25%) was three times higher than that of thyroid cancer without breast cancer (0.73%). It was concluded that ultrasonic screening of the thyroid was useful in patients with breast complaints.

Phase I study of nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel, carboplatin and trastuzumab in women with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-overexpressing breast cancer

Although the concurrent use of anthracycline-containing chemotherapy and taxane with trastuzumab are considered the treatment of choice for the primary systemic therapy of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-overexpressing early breast cancer, non-anthracycline regimens, such as concurrent administration of docetaxel and carboplatin with trastuzumab, exhibited similar efficacies in a previous study. In addition, tri-weekly treatment with nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel (nab-paclitaxel) resulted in significantly higher response rates and a favorable safety profile compared with standard paclitaxel for metastatic breast cancer patients in another phase III study. Based on these results, a phase I study of combination therapy with nab-paclitaxel, carboplatin and trastuzumab was planned, in order to estimate its efficacy and safety for HER2-overexpressing locally advanced breast cancer. The present study was designed to determine the dose-limiting toxicity (DLT), maximum tolerated dose and recommended dose of this combination treatment in women with HER2-overexpressing locally advanced breast cancer. The starting dose of nab-paclitaxel was 220 mg/m2 (level 1), and the dose was escalated to 260 mg/m2 (level 2). Nab-paclitaxel was administered with carboplatin (area under the curve, 6 mg/ml/min) and trastuzumab tri-weekly. A total of 6 patients were enrolled. Although no DLT was observed during the first cycle, 4 patients developed grade 4 thrombocytopenia, 2 had grade 4 neutropenia and 3 exhibited a grade 4 decrease in hemoglobin levels. In the present phase I study, although no patients experienced DLTs, this regimen was associated with severe hematological toxicities and it was not well tolerated. However, considering the high efficacy and lower risk of cardiotoxicity and secondary carcinogenesis with taxane, platinum and trastuzumab combination therapy, further evaluation of another regimen including weekly administration or a more accurate dose setting should be conducted.