Satoshi Inagawa

Hepatoid adenocarcinoma of the stomach

Although gastric cancer occurs frequently in Japan, few cases of hepatoid adenocarcinoma, a cancer with an extremely poor prognosis, have been reported. Here, we describe a 67-year-old Japanese man referred to our hospital with suspected gastric cancer. Gastrointestinal fiberscopy revealed an elevated lesion with a central depression on the lesser curvature, extending from the antrum to the body of the stomach. On the preoperative examinations, abdominal computed tomography scan, magnetic resonance imaging, and abdominal ultrasonography revealed multiple metastases to the liver and no cirrhotic change. The serum level of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) was markedly elevated (10,084 ng/ml). After a diagnosis of AFP-producing gastric cancer with multiple liver metastases was made, total gastrectomy, without liver resection, was performed. Microscopically, the tumor showed two main histological features. The main part of the tumor resembled moderately differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma, and the rest showed fetal-type adenocarcinoma. Some parts of the hepatoma-like lesion showed periodic acid-Schiff (PAS)-positive granules. Furthermore, the tumor showed diffuse immunohistochemical positivity for AFP, alpha-1 antitrypsin, and alpha-1 antichymotrypsin. According to these histopathological findings, the tumor was diagnosed as hepatoid adenocarcinoma of the stomach. Although anastomotic leakage occurred postoperatively and the liver metastases have increased in size, the patient remains alive 11 months after the operation. Because of the poor prognosis for this histological type of tumor, accurate diagnosis of hepatoid adenocarcinoma is important, and long-term follow-up is required. We describe this rare case of hepatoid adenocarcinoma of the stomach, and review the literature concerning the clinicopathological aspects.

Overexpression of MDM2 oncoprotein correlates with possession of estrogen receptor alpha and lack of MDM2 mRNA splice variants in human breast cancer.

To evaluate the significance of murine double minute 2 (MDM2) oncoprotein in human breast cancer as a nuclear-cytoplasmic shuttling protein, an estrogen receptor (ER) alpha regulator, and a prognostic marker and to study how MDM2 is overexpressed, we investigated its status in tissue samples and examined the correlation between overexpression and MDM2 gene abnormalities, status, and clinicopathological parameters. We detected MDM2 oncoprotein in both nucleus and cytoplasm by frozen-section immunohistochemistry. There was a significant correlation between MDM2 overexpression and low-grade nuclear atypia, absence of lymph node involvement, and increased levels of ER alpha protein. Our molecular assays found no point mutations in Ser17, but there was a correlation between MDM2 overexpression and the lack of splice variant mRNAs. These results suggest that the distribution of MDM2 reflects its nuclear-cytoplasmic shuttling ability; that interaction between p53 and MDM2 for tumor progression is not enhanced by point mutations at codon 17; and that the expression of MDM2 splice variants is a reason for the lack of its overexpression. MDM2 overexpression correlates with favorable prognostic parameters. A decreased level of MDM2 will lead to a deviation from the ER alpha signaling pathway.

Solitary schwannoma of the colon: report of two cases.

Abstract Some patients with gastrointestinal schwannoma (GIS) have been previously reported in the literature. However, GIS of the colon is quite rare. In addition, it is sometimes difficult to differentiate neurogenic tumors from other soft tissue tumors. We herein describe two cases of schwannoma of the colon, while also reviewing the relevant Japanese literature. The first case, a 73-year-old woman underwent a sigmoidectomy with lymph node dissection following the diagnosis of submucosal tumor. In the second case, a submucosal tumor was located in the cecum of a 44-year-old man. An endoscopic tumor resection was performed in the second case. The resected tumors measured 3.6 and 1.0 cm in maximal diameter, respectively. Microscopically, the tumors consisted predominantly of spindle-shaped cells that proliferated in an interlaced fashion. Mitosis was rarely seen in these tumors. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells were strongly positive for S-100 protein, weakly positive for glial fibrillary acidic protein, and negative for CD34, α-smooth-muscle actin, and cytokeratin (CAM 5.2) in both cases. The tumors in the two cases were both diagnosed to be benign schwannoma of the colon. In general, schwannoma of the gastrointestinal tract is considered to be benign and should therefore be distinguished from other spindle-cell tumors or malignancies. Once diagnosed as schwannoma, extensive surgery should be avoided. Actually, such patients tend to show a good postoperative course with no evidence of recurrence.

Evaluation of serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels as a prognostic factor in gastric cancer patients

Background and Aim:  Although there are some reports of an adverse effect of low serum high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL‐C) levels on gastrointestinal cancers, the specific correlation between serum HDL‐C levels and gastric cancer remains unknown.

The impact of three-dimensional reconstruction on laparoscopic-assisted surgery for right-sided colon cancer

Introduction During laparoscopic-assisted colorectal surgery (LACS) for right-sided colon cancer patients, we performed three-dimensional (3D) surgical simulation to investigate vascular anatomy, including the ileocolic artery (ICA), right colic artery (RCA) and superior mesenteric vein (SMV). Aim We also used 3D imaging to examine the shortest distance from the root of the ileocolic vein (ICV) to the gastrocolic trunk (GCT). Material and methods We analyzed 46 right-sided colon cancer patients who underwent 3D-simulated LACS. We also examined a control group of 20 right-sided colon cancer patients who underwent LACS without 3D imaging. Patients who received such assessments were classified into the following two groups based on the vessel arrangement patterns of the ICA and SMV: the type A group, in which the ICA crosses anterior to the SMV, and the type B group, in which the ICA crosses posterior to the SMV. The shortest length from the root of the ICV to the GCT (D mm) was measured via 3D imaging. Patient characteristics and perioperative outcomes for these three groups were compared. Results The mean D mm for all cases was 29.2 ±5.21 mm. Mean D mm values for the type A and type B groups were 27.8 ±4.21 and 30.5 ±5.53 mm, respectively. Intraoperative blood loss was lower in the type A group (41.8 ±27.5 g) and the type B group (44.5 ±31.6 g) than that in the control group (86.8 ±27.5 g) (p = 0.013). Conclusions 3D imaging was useful for understanding anatomical relationships during LACS.

Three-dimensional surgical simulation of the bile duct and vascular arrangement in pancreatoduodenectomy: A retrospective cohort study

Background/aims We evaluated the usefulness of three-dimensional (3D) images for pancreatoduodenectomy (PD), including the classification of the bile duct and vascular arrangement, i.e., hepatic artery, inferior mesenteric vein (IMV) and left gastric vein (LGV). We evaluated the extent to which this simulation affected the perioperative outcomes of PD. Methods In all, 117 patients who underwent PD were divided into the without-3D (n = 53) and with-3D (n = 64) groups, and perioperative outcomes were compared. We evaluated the arrangement of the accessory bile duct and the hepatic artery (type I: the right hepatic artery arising from the superior mesenteric artery, type II: the left hepatic artery arising from the left gastric artery, type III: the most common pattern) and the confluence pattern of the LGV and the IMV [type i: portal vein (PV):splenic vein (SV), type ii: PV:superior mesenteric vein (SMV), type iii: SV:SV, and type iv: SV:SMV] between the two groups. Results Two patients had an accessory bile duct. The 3D images were classified as type I (n = 4), type II (n = 10), type III (n = 48) and other patterns (n = 2); type ii (n = 27) was the most frequent confluence pattern (p < 0.05). Intraoperative blood loss was reduced in the with-3D group (p < 0.05). Conclusions We propose that the 3D imaging technique is useful for preoperative assessment in PD.

The Impact of Laparoscopic-assisted Colorectal Surgery Using 3-dimensional Reconstruction for Highly Obese Patients With Colorectal Cancer

Objectives: During laparoscopic-assisted colorectal surgery (LACS), precise recognition of the anatomic variations and relationships among tumor and vessels is required. However, in highly obese patients, it is more difficult to grasp the surgical anatomy due to the presence of dense mesenteric fat tissue. We utilized a 3-dimensional (3D) reconstructed image for preoperative simulation and intraoperative navigation for LACS. In this study, we examined the correlation between patient obesity and 3D-simulated perioperative outcomes. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 124 patients who underwent LACS using 3D surgical simulation at Tsukuba Medical Center Hospital. We sequentially divided our cohort into 2 groups: patients with a low body mass index (BMI<25 kg/m2, n=60) and patients with a high BMI (BMI ≥25 kg/m2, n=64). Patient characteristics and perioperative outcomes, including conversion rate, postoperative complications, operating time, intraoperative blood loss, and length of postoperative hospital stay, were compared for these 2 groups. Results: There were no significant differences in patient background between the 2 groups. We found it more difficult to grasp the surgical anatomy, including vessel arrangement, for high-BMI patients than for low-BMI patients because of the dense mesenteric fat tissue in high-BMI patients. There were no significant differences between the 2 groups with respect to perioperative outcomes. Conclusions: The utilized reconstructed 3D images were useful for understanding anatomic relationships, including vessel arrangement, during LACS, particularly in highly obese patients.

Minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass in a patient with combined severe coronary artery disease and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Treatment of severe coronary artery disease in patients with a malignancy is challenging. A 74-year-old man was presented in critical condition because of cardiac rupture after inferior myocardial infarction. Pericardiocentesis rescued the patient from shock. A pancreatic tumor, which was suspected to be malignant, was an incidental discovery on computed tomography (CT). Coronary artery angiography revealed severe stenosis of the left anterior descending (LAD) artery and moderate stenosis of the left circumflex (LCX) artery. Minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass (MIDCAB) for the LAD artery was performed, and 3 months after the MIDCAB, the patient underwent distal pancreatectomy. Pathological evaluation revealed pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Both surgical treatments were successfully performed and the postoperative course was uneventful. MIDCAB for the LAD artery prior to surgical tumor resection is an effective and reliable myocardial revascularization in patients with combined severe coronary artery disease and a malignancy.

Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) to predict the short-term and long-term outcomes of gastric cancer patients.

e15560Background: Preoperative NLR was well known as highly repeatable, cost-effective and widely available long-term postoperative prognostic marker of gastric cancer patients. However, the utilit...

Hepatic sarcoidosis mimicking cholangiocellular carcinoma: A case report and literature review

Highlights • The clinical and radiological findings of hepatic sarcoidosis are non-specific.• Histopathological examination has been regarded as the definitive diagnostic tool.• Surgery should be considered in case of difficulty to diagnose hepatic sarcoidosis.