Retrograde Lymphatic Spread of Esophageal Cancer: A Case Report

Athena: Speciality Certificate Examination case for general dermatology and dermatology in primary health care

This Athena case describes possible differential diagnoses in a 76-year-old woman who presented with an 8-month history of multiple painful ulcers on her lower abdominal wall and right anterior thigh.

Lymphatic Drainage System and Lymphatic Metastasis of Cancer Cells in the Mouse Esophagus

BACKGROUND

Lymphatic metastasis is commonly seen in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Both lymphatic metastasis and the number of involved nodes are prognostic for post-operative survival. To better understand lymphatic metastasis of ESCC, there is a need to develop proper animal models.

AIMS

This study is aimed to characterize the morphology and function of the lymphatic drainage system in the mouse esophagus.

METHODS

Immunostaining and fluorescence imaging were used to visualize the lymphatic drainage system in the mouse esophagus. Tracers and cancer cells were orthotopically inoculated into the submucosa of the mouse esophagus to mimic lymphatic metastasis of T1 ESCC.

RESULTS

Using immunostaining of a lymphatic vessel marker (LYVE1), we found that lymphatic vessels were located in the submucosa and muscularis propria of the mouse esophagus, similar to the human esophagus. In the esophagus of ProxTom mice expressing tdTomato in the lymphatic vessels, we discovered a microscopic meshwork of lymphatic vessels. Functionally, orthotopically inoculated tracers (Indian ink and FITC-dextran) were drained from the submucosa into peri-esophageal lymph nodes via lymphatic vessels. Orthotopically inoculated mouse cancer cells (LLC-eGFP, MOC2) metastasized from the submucosa to lymphatic vessels, peri-esophageal lymph nodes, and distant organs (liver and lung) in immunocompetent mice. Similarly, in immunodeficient mice, orthotopically inoculated human ESCC cells (KYSE450-eGFP-Luc) metastasized via the same route.

CONCLUSION

We have characterized the morphology and function of the lymphatic drainage system of the mouse esophagus. These observations lay a foundation for mechanistic and therapeutic studies on lymphatic metastasis of T1 ESCC.

Novel Drug Delivery Method Targeting Para-Aortic Lymph Nodes by Retrograde Infusion of Paclitaxel into Pigs’ Thoracic Duct

Gastrointestinal cancer with massive nodal metastases is a lethal disease. In this study, using a porcine model, we infused the anti-cancer drug Paclitaxel (PTX) into thoracic ducts to examine the efficiency of drug delivery to intra-abdominal lymph nodes. We established a technical method to catheterize the thoracic duct in the necks of pigs. We then compared the pharmacokinetics of PTX administered intrathoracically with those of systemic (intravenous) infusion. Serum, liver, and spleen concentrations of PTX were significantly lower following thoracic duct (IT) infusion than after intravenous (IV) administration approximately 1–8 h post-infusion. However, PTX levels in abdominal lymph nodes were maintained at relatively high levels up to 24 h after IT infusion compared to after IV infusion. Concentrations of PTX in urine were much higher after IT administration than after IV administration. After IT infusion, the same concentration of PTX was obtained in abdominal lymph nodes, but the serum concentration was lower than after systemic infusion. Therefore, IT infusion may be able to achieve higher PTX doses than IV infusion. IT delivery of anti-cancer drugs into the thoracic duct may yield clinical benefits for patients with extensive lymphatic metastases in abdominal malignancies.

Thoracic Duct Resection Has a Favorable Impact on Prognosis by Preventing Hematogenous Spread of Esophageal Cancer Cells: A Multi-institutional Analysis of 2269 Patients

BACKGROUND

The impact of thoracic duct (TD) resection on prognosis is controversial. This study aimed to examine the impact of TD resection.

METHODS

In this six-institution, matched-cohort study, 2269 consecutive patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma who underwent esophagectomy between 2000 and 2017 were enrolled for analysis of long-term outcomes, including overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), cause-specific survival (CSS), and recurrence patterns.

RESULTS

Based on a propensity score, 642 TD-resected and 642 TD-preserved patients with all stages of disease were selected. At 5 years, the TD-resected group had an OS of 57.7%, a DFS of 50.9%, and a CSS of 62.2%. These rates were significantly higher than the corresponding rates of 48.7% (p = 0.0078), 41.0% (p = 0.0297), and 55.3% (p = 0.0473) in the TD-preserved group. The OS in the TD-preserved and TD-resected groups was similar for the patients with cStage 1 or 2 (p = 0.6265), but it was significantly higher in the TD-resected group for the patients with cStage 3 or 4 (p = 0.0052). The incidence of total recurrence did not differ between the two groups. However, the incidence of hematogenous recurrence in the TD-resected group (19.0%) was significantly lower than in the TD-preserved group (26.2%) (p = 0.0021). For cT4a tumors, the incidence of local recurrence in the TD-resected group (2.4%) was significantly lower than in the TD-preserved group (18.4%) (p = 0.0183).

CONCLUSIONS

Performance of TD resection may help to improve prognosis, especially for patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, by reducing hematogenous and local recurrence. Prospective trials are needed to determine whether prophylactic TD resection has a positive impact on the prognosis of patients with esophageal cancer.

Maxillary Metastasis of Esophageal Cancer: Report of the First Case and Literature Review

BACKGROUND

Esophageal cancer (EC) is a common digestive system tumor, characterized by high invasion, apparent lethality, and poor prognosis. Direct diffusion is the major metastatic mechanism of early EC, whereas advanced EC is spread mainly by lymphatic metastasis, but also can be transferred to the liver, lungs, bones, and so on, by hematogenous metastasis. The incidence of bone metastasis in esophageal cancer is low, and maxillary metastasis of EC is more rare.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the differential diagnosis in ECMM, the rare metastasis of EC, and the possible mechanisms and predictors of bone metastasis.

METHODS

The clinical materials of a male patient with maxillary metastasis of esophageal cancer (ECMM) were analyzed. Then, the possible mechanism of the ECMM was discussed.

CONCLUSION

ECMM may belong to the hematogenous metastasis. The early detection of rare sites of metastasis of EC should be prioritized in tumor marker detection, imaging, pathology, and other diagnostic techniques.

Prognostic significance of the degree of lymphatic vessel invasion in locally advanced, surgically resectable pancreatic head cancer: A single center experience

Little is known concerning the prognostic significance of the degree of lymphatic vessel invasion in pancreatic head cancer. To address this gap in knowledge, we retrospectively examined 60 patients with locally advanced, surgically resectable pancreatic head cancer who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy and lymph node (LN) dissection.All cases were histopathologically diagnosed as ductal adenocarcinoma, stage II (25 pT3N0 cases, 35 pT3N1 cases). The following variables were investigated: age; sex; neoadjuvant therapy; adjuvant therapy; tumor size; tumor grade; invasion into the serosa, retropancreatic tissue, duodenum, bile duct, portal venous system and perineural area; cut margins; LN metastasis; and the number of invaded lymphatic vessels (LVI-score).Univariate analysis demonstrated that LN metastasis and an LVI-score ≥5 were significantly associated with poor disease-free survival. Multivariate Cox regression analysis confirmed that LN metastasis and an LVI-score ≥7 were significantly associated with poor disease-free survival. Additionally, LVI-scores ≥9 and ≥10 were comparable to or surpassed the significance of LN metastasis based on the hazard ratio. Univariate analysis demonstrated that tumor size >30 mm, duodenal invasion, LN metastasis and an LVI-score ≥2 were significantly associated with poor overall survival. Multivariate Cox regression analysis confirmed that LN metastasis and LVI-scores ≥9 and ≥10 were significantly associated with poor overall survival, and an LVI-score ≥10 was comparable to or surpassed the significance of LN metastasis based on the hazard ratio.Our study strongly suggests that a high degree of lymphatic vessel invasion is associated with a poor prognosis in patients with locally advanced, surgically resectable pancreatic head cancer.

Anatomy of lymphatic drainage of the esophagus and lymph node metastasis of thoracic esophageal cancer

The lymphatic drainage of the inner layers (mucosa and submucosa) and the outer layers (muscularispropria and adventitia) of the thoracic esophagus is different. Longitudinal lymphatic vessels and long drainage territory in the submucosa and lamina propria should be the bases for bidirectional drainage and direct drainage to thoracic duct and extramural lymph nodes (LN). The submucosal vessels for direct extramural drainage are usually thick while lymphatic communication between the submucosa and intermuscular area is usually not clearly found, which does not facilitate transversal drainage to paraesophageal LN from submucosa. The right paratracheal lymphatic chain (PLC) is well developed while the left PLC is poorly developed. Direct drainage to the right recurrent laryngeal nerve LN and subcarinal LN from submucosa has been verified. Clinical data show that lymph node metastasis (LNM) is frequently present in the lower neck, upper mediastinum, and perigastric area, even for early-stage thoracic esophageal cancer (EC). The lymph node metastasis rate (LNMR) varies mainly according to the tumor location and depth of tumor invasion. However, there are some crucial LN for extramural relay which have a high LNMR, such as cervical paraesophageal LN, recurrent laryngeal nerve LN, subcarinal LN, LN along the left gastric artery, lesser curvature LN, and paracardial LN. Metastasis of thoracic paraesophageal LN seems to be a sign of more advanced EC. This review gives us a better understanding about the LNM and provides more information for treatments of thoracic EC.

Metastasis of pancreatic cancer within primary colon cancer by overtaking the stromal microenvironment

We report a unique case of a 74-old man, who presented with double cancers, showing metastasis of pancreatic cancer to colon cancer. Histopathological examination after surgery revealed that the patient had ascending colon cancer, which metastasized to the liver (pT4N0M1), as well as pancreatic cancer (pT2N1M1) that metastasized to the most invasive portion of the colon cancer, namely the serosal to subserosal layers. Although the mechanisms for this scenario have yet to be elucidated, we speculate that the metastatic pancreatic carcinoma overtook the stromal microenvironment of the colon cancer. Namely, the cancer microenvironment enriched by cancer-associated fibroblasts, which supported the colon cancer, might be suitable for the invasion and engraftment by pancreatic carcinoma. The similarity of histological appearance might make it difficult to distinguish metastatic pancreatic carcinoma within colon cancer. Furthermore, the metastasis of pancreatic carcinoma in colon carcinoma might be more common, despite it not having been previously reported.

Metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of colon from esophageal cancer

BACKGROUND

Esophageal cancer including squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and adenocarcinoma represents 4% of all cancers in the United States. Patients with esophageal cancer frequently present with locally advanced disease, and about 40% of patients have evidence of metastatic disease on presentation. Common sites of metastasis include liver, lung and bone. Here, we present a rare case of colonic metastasis from primary esophageal SCC.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 60-year-old Caucasian male with a history of 20-pack-year cigarette smoking received surgery and adjuvant chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced SCC of larynx. Approximately 9 months later, he developed dysphagia, and found to have a esophageal SCC in the mid-esophagus with regional lymph node involvement. He underwent chemoradiation treatment with good response and improved symptoms but declined subsequent surgical resection for esophageal cancer. About 1 year after the diagnosis of esophageal cancer, he developed blood streaked bowel movement and severe anemia. Colonoscopy showed a 3-cm mass in the proximal ascending colon; biopsy showed metastatic SCC, consistent with metastasis from esophageal primary. He subsequently received palliative radiation to the ascending colon metastatic tumor with improvement of anemia, and remained transfusion independent for more than 3 months.

CONCLUSIONS

Colonic metastasis from esophageal SCC is rare, and associated with poor prognosis. There are no definite features in terms of location, histological differentiation etc. that contribute to colonic metastasis from primary esophageal SCC. The goal of treatment is palliative and data from our and other case reports support the use of chemotherapy and radiation for symptom improvement and disease control.

Pathological Characterization of Ovarian Cancer Patients Who Underwent Debulking Surgery in Combination With Diaphragmatic Surgery: A Cross-Sectional Study

Despite exhaustive efforts to detect early-stage ovarian cancers, greater than two-thirds of patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage. Although diaphragmatic metastasis is not rare in advanced ovarian cancer patients and often precludes optimal cytoreductive surgery, little is known about the mechanisms and predictive factors of metastasis to the diaphragm. Thus, as an initial step toward investigating such factors, the present study was conducted to characterize the pathological status of ovarian cancer patients who underwent debulking surgery in combination with diaphragmatic surgery. This is a retrospective and cross-sectional study of patients who underwent debulking surgery in combination with diaphragmatic surgery at our institution between January 2005 and July 2015. Clinicopathological data were reviewed by board-certified gynecologists, pathologists, and cytopathologists. The rates of various pathological findings were investigated and compared by Fisher exact test between 2 groups: 1 group that was pathologically positive for diaphragmatic metastasis (group A) and another group that was pathologically negative for diaphragmatic metastasis (group B). Forty-six patients were included: 41 patients pathologically positive and 5 pathologically negative for diaphragmatic metastasis. The rates of metastasis to the lymph node (95.8% vs 20%, P = 0.001) and metastasis to the peritoneum except for the diaphragm (97.6% vs 60.0%, P = 0.028) were significantly increased in group A compared with group B. However, no significant differences between the 2 groups were found for rates of histological subtypes (high-grade serous or non-high-grade serous), the presence of ascites, the presence of malignant ascites, exposure of cancer cells on the ovarian surface, blood vascular invasion in the primary lesion, and lymphovascular invasion in the primary lesion. Our study demonstrated that metastasis to the lymph node and nondiaphragmatic metastasis to the peritoneum are significantly associated with metastasis to the diaphragmatic peritoneum, indicating that these factors may be pathological predictors of diaphragmatic metastasis in patients with ovarian cancer. However, as the data available are not sufficient to demonstrate the predictive power of these factors, a further comprehensive, large-scale study should be performed.

Palatine tonsillar metastasis of a small pulmonary adenocarcinoma showing an invasive micropapillary carcinoma pattern and Pagetoid spread at the tonsil: a case suggesting retrograde lymphatic metastasis from bulky lymph node metastases of the neck

Metastasis rarely occurs in the palatine tonsils. Among primary pulmonary carcinoma subtypes, small cell carcinoma more frequently metastasizes to this site. Herein, we present an exceedingly rare case of a small pulmonary adenocarcinoma that metastasized to the cervical lymph nodes and the right palatine tonsil in a 62-year-old man. In spite of the small size of the primary site, such extensive metastasis may have occurred because of the invasive micropapillary carcinoma pattern seen in the metastatic sites. The manner of metastasis to the palatine tonsil was considered retrograde lymphatic metastasis originating from carcinoma cells in the cervical lymph nodes. Furthermore, Pagetoid spread was observed at the palatine tonsil. Although there have been only a few cases showing retrograde lymphatic metastasis and Pagetoid spread at the metastatic site, we should be careful when speculating about the primary site based on such metastatic sites, especially when dealing with a biopsy sample exhibiting Pagetoid spread.