Ryo Okada

Clinical Significance of Soluble Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 and Interleukin-6 in Patients with Extrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma

ABSTRACT Purpose/Aim: Although several prognostic factors for extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (EHC) have been reported, preoperative prognostic factors have yet to be established. We investigated the serum concentration of angiogenic, inflammatory, and nutritional parameters. Materials and Methods: Twenty-five patients with EHC were enrolled before starting treatment. Preoperative prognostic factors were identified using multivariate analyses. Results: The serum soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) levels were significantly higher in the patients with EHC (436.0 ± 43.2 ng/ml) than in the healthy volunteers (228.6 ± 22.0 ng/ml) (p <.001). In addition, the serum IL-6 levels were significantly higher in the patients (18.0 ± 5.6 pg/ml) than in the healthy volunteers (5.7 ± 0.8 pg/ml) (p <.05). The serum IL-6 and sICAM-1 showed a strong correlation (r = 0.559) in the patients with EHC (p <.01). The serum IL-6 (area under the curve = 0.764, p =.030, cut-off level = 11.6) and sICAM-1 (area under the curve = 0.818, p =.007, cutoff level = 322.6) were revealed to be useful as prognostic factors by the receiver operating characteristic curves. The high IL-6 group and the high sICAM-1 group showed poorer DSS than those of the respective low groups. In the multivariate analysis, IL-6 (hazard ratio: 1.050, 95% confidence interval: 1.002–1.100, p =.043) and sICAM-1 (hazard ratio: 1.009, 95% confidence interval: 1.002–1.015, p =.009) were independent prognostic factors for DSS. Conclusions: IL-6 and sICAM-1 were independent preoperative prognostic factors in EHC patients, causing continuous inflammation and malnutrition in collaboration with other pro-angiogenic factors.

Prognostic impact of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule‑1 in hepatocellular carcinoma

The identification of novel biomarkers for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is of great importance in improving the outcome of patients with HCC. The present study aimed to determine the prognostic significance of the soluble intercellular adhesion molecule (sICAM)-1 in patients with HCC. The present study prospectively collected clinicopathological data from 36 patients with HCC who had undergone successful hepatectomy. An analysis using a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was performed to determine the cut-off value for predicting prognosis. Overall survival (OS), recurrence-free survival (RFS) and potential prognostic factors were analyzed. The ROC curve analysis revealed a sICAM-1 cut-off value of 440 ng/ml. HCC patients with sICAM-1 ≥440 ng/ml exhibited a poorer OS and RFS than those with sICAM-1 <440 ng/ml (P=0.002). sICAM-1 ≥440 ng/ml (hazard ratio=3.623; 95% confidence interval: 1.145-11.458; P=0.028) and Child B (hazard ratio=1.514; 95% confidence interval: 1.066-2.150; P=0.021) were independent prognostic factors for OS, and sICAM-1 ≥440 ng/ml was an independent prognostic factor for RFS (hazard ratio=3.625; 95% confidence interval: 1.233-10.659; P=0.019). Serum sICAM-1 may be a promising predictor for the overall and recurrence-free survival of patients with HCC.

Prediction of major complications after hepatectomy using liver stiffness values determined by magnetic resonance elastography: Risk of complications after hepatectomy determined by magnetic resonance elastography

Liver fibrosis is a risk factor for hepatectomy but cannot be determined accurately before hepatectomy because diagnostic procedures are too invasive. Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) can determine liver stiffness (LS), a surrogate marker for assessing liver fibrosis, non‐invasively. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the LS value determined by MRE is predictive of major complications after hepatectomy.

Clinical significance of serum transthyretin level in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: Transthyretin and prognosis of HCC

Although serum albumin has been reported to be useful as a prognostic biomarker for various malignancies, it is not suitable for prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) due to impaired liver function. We aimed to determine whether serum transthyretin (TTR) level can be used as a novel prognostic biomarker.

Intranuclear accumulation of galectin-3 is an independent prognostic factor for patients with distal cholangiocarcinoma

Galectin-3 has been reported to be associated with the prognosis of patients with various malignancies; however, it has not yet been investigated in patients with extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (EHCC). Expression of galectin-3 was retrospectively examined in 58 patients with EHCC: 21 with perihilar cholangiocarcinoma and 37 with distal cholangiocarcinoma (DCC). The Cox proportional hazard model was used to identify independent prognostic factors. Intranuclear accumulation of galectin-3 (gal-3-INA) was associated with poorer overall survival (OS) in all patients (P=0.003), as well as in patients with DCC (P=0.004). Patients with gal-3-INA also exhibited a poorer disease-free survival (DFS) than those without gal-3-INA in all patients with EHCC (P<0.001), and in patients with DCC (P<0.001). Gal-3-INA was an independent prognostic factor of OS and DFS in all patients [OS: Hazard ratio (HR), 4.470; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.759–11.357; P=0.002; and DFS: HR, 5.116; 95% CI, 2.025–12.925; P=0.001]. Gal-3-INA was also an independent prognostic factor in patients with DCC (OS: HR, 2.979; 95% CI, 1.035–8.570; P=0.043; and DFS: HR, 6.773; 95% CI, 1.558–29.439; P=0.011). In the analysis of patients with DCC, the number of patients with high galectin-3 expression (P=0.038), recurrence (P<0.001), distant metastases (P<0.001), R0 status (P=0.029) or microscopic vascular invasion (P=0.019) was significantly higher in the gal-3-INA-positive group than in the gal-3-INA-negative group. In conclusion, gal-3-INA was identified as a strong prognostic factor for OS and DFS in patients with DCC.

Acinar Cell Cystadenocarcinoma of the Pancreas

Acinar cell cystadenocarcinoma is a rare malignant epithelial neoplasm of the pancreas with a diffusely cystic, gross architecture in which the cysts are lined with neoplastic epithelial cells that demonstrate evidence of pancreatic exocrine enzyme production. This is the 10th case that has been reported in the literature. A 77-year-old male complaining of left hypochondrial pain was referred to our hospital for treatment of a pancreatic tumor. A huge, honeycomb-structured tumor was detected in the pancreatic tail. Distal pancreatectomy with total resection of the residual stomach and partial resection of the transverse colon were performed. Microscopically, there were variably sized cystic lesions in the tumor. Immunohistochemical examinations revealed that tumor cells were positive for alpha 1-antichymotrypsin and alpha 1-trypsin, showing that tumor cells had features of pancreatic acinar cells. Thus, the tumor was diagnosed as acinar cell cystadenocarcinoma. Herein, we report a rare case with acinar cell cystadenocarcinoma, which is the 10th case reported in the literature based on a PubMed search. We managed to resect the tumor completely by distal pancreatectomy with total resection of the residual stomach and partial resection of the transverse colon. The patient is still alive 26 months after surgery without any recurrence after 1 year of adjuvant chemotherapy with S-1.