Tetsu Shimizu

Advanced cancer with situs inversus totalis associated with KIF3 complex deficiency: Report of two cases

Situs inversus totalis (SIT) is a relatively rare congenital anomaly, occurring at an incidence of 1 in 10 000–50 000 live births. Although there are some case reports of SIT with the presence of cancer, there are few reports on the relationship between SIT and cancer. However, the recent phylogenetic investigations of this condition suggest that this may be linked to the development and progression of cancer on the molecular level. The key elements are one of the intracellular motor proteins, the KIF3 complex, and the cell-adhesion factors N-cadherin and β-catenin. We herein present the cases of advanced gastric cancer and lung cancer with SIT, and review the relationship between SIT and the development and progression of cancer.

Radiation-induced esophageal cancer: A case report and a review of the literature

A 63 year old woman who had been irradiated for thyroid carcinoma at 36 years of age developed a cervico-esophageal stricture, the biopsy specimens from which revealed squamous cell carcinoma. Total esophagectomy was performed and a small linear ulcer was found in the resected specimen. Histological examination revealed moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinoma with severe fibrosis around the tumor, indicating radiation-induced cervical esophageal cancer. The characteristics of radiation-induced esophageal cancers described in the literature are reviewed in context of the present case.

Carbohydrate Antigen 19-9 in Tissues and Sera from Patients with Gastric Cancer

Detection of carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19-9 in tissues and sera was performed by an immunoperoxidase assay and by radioimmunoassay of samples from patients with gastric cancer. Twenty-eight of 102 (27.5%) gastrectomized patients and 13 of 21 (44.8%) patients with recurrent cancer showed abnormal and elevated levels of CA 19-9 in sera of more than 37 U/ml. Sixty-five of 102 (63.7%) patients gave positive localizations of CA 19-9 in cancerous tissues and 20 of 102 (19.6%) gave positive localizations of CA 19-9 in noncancerous gastric mucosa. Twenty-five of 28 (89.3%) patients with elevated serum CA 19-9 showed positive evidence of CA 19-9 in cancerous tissues, and 37 of 74 (50.0%) patients with normal serum levels of CA 19-9 also showed positive evidence of CA 19-9 in cancerous tissues. However, there were no clear relationships between CA 19-9 in cancerous tissues or in sera and the stage or histological type of the gastric cancer. These data indicate that CA 19-9 may be not released easily into blood circulation or that the concentration of CA 19-9 in tissues may be low, even though a large proportion of gastric cancer cells produces CA 19-9. It appears, therefore, that CA 19-9 will be restricted clinical use as a detector, monitor or tumor-associated antigen of gastric cancer.

Isolated port-site metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma after laparoscopic liver resection

Port‐site metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is extremely rare, and only one case has been reported in the English‐language literature. Contamination with malignant cells along the needle tract during percutaneous biopsy or radiofrequency ablation is a well‐recognized cause of HCC recurrence. Here, we describe a case of port‐site metastasis after laparoscopic liver resection of HCC. The patient, who had undergone laparoscopic partial resection of the left lateral segment of the liver 18 months earlier, was diagnosed with HCC. CT showed a nodule in the abdominal wall where the laparoscopic port had been inserted during resection. Local excision was performed, and histological examination revealed HCC consistent with recurrence after laparoscopic resection. The experience described in this report highlights the risk of port‐site metastasis of HCC. Imaging for oncologic surveillance after laparoscopic resection must include all port sites.

C-Reactive Protein/Albumin Ratio and Prognostic Nutritional Index Are Strong Prognostic Indicators of Survival in Resected Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

Abstract Purpose: We evaluated the clinical importance, such as the occurrence of postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) or prognosis, of preoperative serum markers of chronic inflammation, nutrition, and immunity, as well as that of serum tumor markers after curative resection of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDACs). Methods: Between 2006 and 2015, 43 patients with PDACs underwent curative resection at Tottori Prefectural Central Hospital. We analyzed which preoperative indicators (i.e., C-reactive protein/albumin ratio [CAR], neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio [NLR], prognostic nutritional index [PNI], carcinoembryonic antigen [CEA], and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 [CA 19-9]) were the most relevant risk factors for occurrence of POPF and poor patient survival. Results: POPF was detected in 8/43 (18.6%) patients. One patient died of pancreatic fistula at 2 months postoperatively. Among nine candidate factors (operative procedure, operation time, tumor stage, preoperative serum amylase, preoperative CAR, NLR, PNI, CEA, and CA 19-9), we did not identify any significant risk factor for the occurrence of POPF. The 5-year overall survival (OS) rate of the 43 patients was 22.4%, and the overall median survival time was 21 months. The multivariate OS analysis demonstrated that high CAR and low PNI were strong preoperative markers of poor prognosis independently of tumor stage. Conclusions: Preoperative CAR and PNI are useful prognostic markers for patients with operable PDACs.

Randomized controlled phase II study of alternate-day S-1 as adjuvant chemotherapy for gastric cancer.

114 Background: Based on the results of ACTS-GC, oral administration of S-1 for 1 year is considered standard postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy for gastric cancer in Japan. However, the 1-year treatment completion rate was only 65.8%, and completion of the treatment is a problem to be solved. On the other hand, we experienced in clinical practice that the alternate-day administration of S-1 reduced adverse effects and was tolerable for advanced gastric cancer patients unwilling to continue the standard daily administration. We therefore conducted a multi-center cooperative prospective study to compare daily with alternate-day administration of S-1 as postoperative adjuvant therapy for gastric cancer. METHODS Patients with Stage II or III gastric cancer who underwent curative surgery were randomly assigned to receive standard daily administration (group A: S-1 80-120 mg/day according to BSA, days 1 to 28, every 6weeks, for 1 year) or alternate-day administration of S-1 (group B: S-1 80-120 mg/day according to BSA, every other day, for 15 months). The primary endpoints were treatment completion rate and relative dose intensity. Secondary endpoints were safety, overall survival, and relapse-free survival. RESULTS A total of 73 patients were enrolled. As of August 30, 2011 analysis of the compliance data of 62 cases had been completed. The results showed a treatment completion rate of 74.2% in group A and 93.5% in group B and relative dose intensity of 72.1% in group A and 85.6% in group B, and compliance tended to be better in group B. Assessment of survival time showed a median follow-up time of 545 days, a 1-year survival rate of 93.8% in group A and 96.9% in group B and 1-year relapse-free survival rate of 79.5% in group A and 90.7% in group B. Digestive system adverse events were less frequent in group B than in group A. CONCLUSIONS We will report the data from the final analysis at this meeting. The current data show improved compliance and mitigation of adverse effects with alternate-day administration of S-1, and it appears to be a more sustainable option for adjuvant chemotherapy for Stage II and III gastric cancer.