Tsuguo Fujitaka

Small cell carcinoma of the extrahepatic bile duct: Case report and immunohistochemical analysis

A small cell carcinoma of the extrahepatic bile duct in a 75‐year‐old Japanese man is reported. The patient suffered from obstructive jaundice, and percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography‐drainage (PTCD) revealed a massive lesion in the lower common bile duct. Because it was diagnosed as a malignant tumor, pancreaticoduodenectomy was performed. A nodular infiltrating tumor measuring 4.5 × 3.0 × 2.0 cm was located in the intrapancreatic portion of the extrahepatic bile duct. Histologically, the tumor was composed of a dense proliferation of small atypical cells with a little region of high‐grade dysplasia in the adjacent epithelium of the common bile duct. Tumor cells were immunoreactive to neuroendocrine markers such as chromogranin A, synaptophysin, CD56, and Leu7. Although carcinoma cells invaded into pancreas and duodenum, there were no histological findings that indicated the carcinoma arose from the mucosa of either the pancreatic duct or duodenum. These results indicated that the tumor was a small cell carcinoma derived from the epithelium of the extrahepatic bile duct; a rare neoplasm with only a few cases reported. A few neuroendocrine cells were recognized in the adjacent epithelium of the extrahepatic bile duct, suggesting that the tumor cells might be derived from them. Using immunohistochemical examination, no p53 abnormality was found. Tumor cells showed positive nuclear staining for p16, while negative for cyclin D1, suggesting that functional retinoblastoma protein (pRB) might be lost in the p16/pRB pathway, as in small cell lung cancer.

A tailgut cyst found accompanying rectal cancer: Report of a case

Tailgut cysts are rare congenital lesions. To date, only four cases have been reported in Japan, and the occurrence of a tailgut cyst with rectal cancer has never been documented. We describe here the case of a patient in whom a tailgut cyst in the retrorectal space was associated with rectal cancer. Preoperative computed tomography scans and endorectal ultrasonography failed to identify the lesion as cystic, instead suggesting an involved lymph node. This case emphasizes the necessity for careful diagnosis of masses in the retrorectal space in patients with rectal cancer.

Inflammatory fibroid polyp of the ileum with the appearance of a borrmann type II lesion, caused by colostomy irrigation: Report of a case

Inflammatory fibroid polyps (IFPs) are rarely found in the gastrointestinal tract. The majority of IFPs are sessile-pedunculated or pedunculated polypoid lesions, whereas a polyp presenting like a Borrmann type II lesion is extremely unusual. This report describes the case of a 74-year-old man with a history of intussusception, in whom a preoperative diagnosis of a cecal tumor of the ileocecal valve was made. A laparotomy subsequently revealed a lesion similar to a Borrmann type II tumor located 15 cm above the ileocecal valve, but not at the valve. The lesion was diagnosed as an IFP which had been caused by repeated colostomy irrigation. The aim of the present report is to draw attention to this entity, which should be included in the differential diagnosis of intussusception and small bowel obstruction.

Efficacy of Endoscopic Ultrasonography in the Diagnosis of Lateral Lymphatic Spread in Rectal Cancer

Abstract: In rectal cancer, lateral lymphatic spread is considered to worsen the prognosis. Therefore, accurate determination of lymph node involvement preoperatively is helpful in assessing the malignant character of the tumor and in determining resectability. The present study was performed to evaluate the accuracy, limitations, and usefulness of endoluminal ultrasonography in preoperatively diagnosing the localization of lymph node metastasis in rectal cancer. Seventy‐six patients with rectal cancer underwent preoperative endoscopic ultrasonography. Three of these patients had lateral lymphatic spread and all could be distinguished on endoscopic ultrasonography by the detection of involvement of lymph nodes in the anterior rectal space. These findings suggest that endoscopic ultrasonography plays a potentially useful role in the strategy for dealing with rectal cancer prior to surgery.