Association between fibrosis around the tumor and postoperative infectious complication in patients with esophageal cancer who underwent preoperative therapy

BACKGROUND

Multidisciplinary treatment combining chemotherapy, chemo radiation therapy (CRT), and surgery has been utilized for advanced esophageal cancer. However, preoperative treatment could cause postoperative inflammation and complications. We hypothesized that fibrosis surrounding tumor tissue caused by preoperative treatment could induce postoperative systemic inflammation and influence postoperative complications.

METHODS

Surgical specimens from patients with thoracic esophageal cancer who underwent preoperative CRT (38 cases) or chemotherapy (77 cases) and those who received no preoperative treatment (49 cases) were evaluated to measure the fibrotic area adjacent to the tumor (10 mm from the tumor edge) by applying Azan staining. Pleural effusion and peripheral blood serum interleukin-6 levels were analyzed to evaluate local and systemic postoperative inflammation in 37 patients.

RESULTS

The fibrotic areas around the tumors were significantly larger in patients who underwent preoperative CRT than in patients who underwent chemotherapy (p < 0.001) or who had received no preoperative therapy (p < 0.001). Infectious complications were higher in patients who underwent preoperative CRT than chemotherapy (p = 0.047) or surgery alone (p < 0.001). The patients with larger fibrotic areas had more infectious complications (p = 0.028). Multivariate analysis showed that both a large fibrotic area and preoperative CRT were correlated with infectious complications, but not significantly. Pleural effusion interleukin-6 was significantly higher in patients who underwent preoperative CRT than in patients who received no preoperative therapy (p = 0.013).

CONCLUSIONS

A large fibrotic peritumoral esophageal tissue area after preoperative treatment could cause postoperative inflammatory response and infectious complications.

Endometrioid adenocarcinoma arising from inguinal endometriosis during follow-up for gastric cancer surgery: a case report and literature review

Malignant transformation of inguinal endometriosis is rare. A 56-year-old woman underwent surgery for advanced gastric cancer 5 years ago and received postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. She had no recurrence since then. However, 5 years after surgery, contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) showed a mass in the right inguinal region suspected to be a hydrocele of the canal of Nuck, with a blood test showing a slightly elevated CA19-9 level (63.0 U/mL). Six months later, CT showed an enlarged mass in the right inguinal region and inflammation in the surrounding area. In addition, both inguinal lymph nodes and those in the right iliac artery area were enlarged, suggesting the possibility of malignancy. For diagnostic purposes, a right inguinal mass was excised. Histopathological examination revealed that it was endometrioid adenocarcinoma with ectopic endometriois as the origin. The differential diagnoses for inguinal masses in women include an inguinal hernia, hydrocele of the canal of Nuck, ectopic endometriosis, lymphoma, and metastatic malignancy. The presence of a primary malignancy in the inguinal region is sporadic but must be differentiated. This is the first case of malignant transformation of inguinal endometriosis developed during postoperative follow-up of another cancer.

Spontaneous rupture of an undifferentiated carcinoma with osteoclast-like giant cells of the pancreas presenting as intra-abdominal bleeding: a case report

BACKGROUND

Undifferentiated carcinoma is a very rare histologic subtype, representing only 0.8% to 5.7% of all pancreatic exocrine neoplasms. Additionally, spontaneous abdominal hemorrhage is a particularly rare, life-threatening cause.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 68-year-old man was taken by ambulance to our hospital because of sudden-onset abdominal pain. Contrast-enhanced abdominal computed tomography revealed a huge mass measuring 99 × 70 mm in the pancreatic tail with enhanced rim staining in the peripheral area. Imaging also showed extravasation and fluid collection beside the tumor. Hence, spontaneous rupture of the pancreatic tumor and intra-abdominal bleeding were diagnosed. Emergency laparotomy was performed because of acute abdominal pain with peritoneal signs. With an intraoperative diagnosis of rupture of the pancreatic tumor, distal pancreatectomy was successfully performed. Histologically, hematoxylin and eosin staining showed round to spindle-shaped, highly pleomorphic mononuclear cells and multinucleated giant cells as well as a component of ductal adenocarcinoma. Immunohistochemical staining showed that the tumor cells were negative for AE1/AE3, whereas the non-neoplastic osteoclast-like giant cells were positive for CD68. Taken together, these results led to a diagnosis of undifferentiated carcinoma with osteoclast-like giant cells. The patient's postoperative course was uneventful.

CONCLUSION

We experienced an extremely rare case of spontaneous rupture of an undifferentiated carcinoma with osteoclast-like giant cells presenting as intra-abdominal bleeding. Obtaining a correct preoperative diagnosis is quite difficult at the first evaluation. Undifferentiated carcinoma should be considered as a differential diagnosis in the case with spontaneous rupture of a pancreatic tumor.

[Small Bowel Metastasis of Breast Cancer-A Case Report]

A 69-year-old female had hormone therapy for liver metastasis after surgery for right breast cancer. She came to the hospital with a complaint of abdominal pain and was admitted with a diagnosis of small bowel obstruction. She had previously undergone surgery for an ovarian tumor and was suspected of having an intestinal obstruction caused by adhesions in her pelvis. She promptly improved with conservative treatment of fasting only. In the following months, she developed 2 intestinal obstructions, and CT scan revealed a neoplastic lesion in the small intestine. With the diagnosis of small intestinal tumor, laparoscopic surgery was performed. A neoplastic lesion was found in the ileum. A small bowel resection was performed. She was discharged with a good postoperative course. The pathological results showed breast cancer metastasis in the small intestine. Based on the diagnosis, postoperative chemotherapy has been started. Gastrointestinal metastasis of breast cancer is relatively rare and rarely causes clinical problems. We report a case of small intestinal metastasis of breast cancer.

Synchronous gastric cancer and primary lymphoma of right adrenal gland: a case report

This report presents an extremely rare case of synchronous gastric cancer and primary adrenal diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). An 82-year-old man underwent computed tomography, which revealed a heterogeneous appearing and hypodense adrenal mass and a gastric mass with no enlarged lymph nodes in the neck, mediastinum, abdomen, and inguinal region. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed a protruding gastric tumor. The specimens obtained from endoscopic biopsy were histologically confirmed to be adenocarcinoma. The hormonal findings eliminated functional adrenal tumor. The patient underwent distal gastrectomy with regional lymph node resection for gastric cancer and incisional biopsy of the adrenal mass. Based on the pathological findings, diagnoses of mixed mucinous and tubular adenocarcinomas of the stomach and adrenal DLBCL were confirmed. Postoperation, the patient received rituximab combined with low-dose doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisone (R-miniCHOP). Six courses of R-miniCHOP were planned, but were completed in only one course at the patient’s request. The patient died 2 months after surgery.

Postoperative solitary liver metastasis from esophageal squamous cell carcinoma achieving a clinical complete response to chemotherapy with cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil followed by stereotactic body radiotherapy: A case report

Treatment strategies for distant organ metastasis have changed markedly since the concept of oligometastasis was introduced. The perception that distant organ metastasis is a systemic disease and not eligible for local therapy is now a thing of the past. Therefore, the present report details a case of postoperative solitary liver metastasis from esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), which achieved a clinical complete response to chemotherapy with cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) followed by stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT). A 76-year-old male patient underwent esophagectomy for lower thoracic ESCC. At 7 months after surgery, abdominal CT revealed a solitary hypovascular mass, 28 mm in size, in segment 7 of the liver. After three courses of chemotherapy with cisplatin and 5-FU, abdominal CT revealed that the liver mass had shrunk to 7 mm in size. SBRT was then administered with a 6 MV X-ray beam generated by a linear accelerator. A total dose of 50 Gy was given in 5 fractions of 10 Gy to the liver mass. At 1 month after SBRT, abdominal CT revealed that the liver mass had disappeared. The patient received no further adjuvant chemotherapy and had no recurrence at 18 months after diagnosis of liver metastasis and 13 months after SBRT.

[Right Hemicolectomy and Pancreatoduodenectomy for Transverse Colon Cancer Invasion to the Duodenum-A Case Report]

A 74-year-old woman visited her local doctor with stomach ache and weight loss. Abdominal ultrasonography showed a mass in the hepatic flexure of the transverse colon. She was referred to our hospital. Colonoscopy revealed transverse colon cancer in the hepatic flexure. Upper endoscopy showed redness of the mucosa and stenosis in the descending portion of the duodenum. Therefore, duodenal invasion was suspected. The CT scan showed a regional lymph node metastasis, but there were no obvious signs of distant metastases. From the aforementioned findings, we diagnosed the patient with duodenal invasion of transverse colon cancer(cT4b, N1, M0, cStage Ⅲ). There was no intraoperative peritoneal dissemination or liver metastasis, and we performed right hemicolectomy and pancreatoduodenectomy for transverse colon cancer. On histopathological examination, we diagnosed pT4b(Duo, Pan), N1b(3/35), M0, pStage Ⅲb. The patient had delayed gastric emptying after surgery. She recovered conservatively and was discharged on POD 37. She underwent adjuvant chemotherapy( capecitabine therapy)and has been alive without recurrence 8 months after surgery. In some cases of colon cancer invasion of other organs, long-term survival can be achieved if R0 resection is possible, and we should consider extended resection.

[AFP and PIVKA-Ⅱ Producing Gastric Cancer with Metachronous Liver Metastasis after Gastrectomy-A Case Report]

A 67-year-old man visited his doctor because of anorexia and was diagnosed with gastric cancer based on endoscopic findings. Endoscopy revealed a 0-Ⅰ type tumor, 6 cm in size, at the gastric angle. Preoperative CT showed no apparent lymph node or distant metastases. Distal gastrectomy was performed for gastric cancer with Billroth Ⅰ reconstruction. He had no complications and was discharged on postoperative day 11. The pathological Stage was pT2N0M0, pStage ⅠB, and he underwent no adjuvant chemotherapy. Four months postoperatively, serum CA19-9, AFP, and PIVKA-Ⅱ were elevated, and CT revealed multiple liver tumors. A liver biopsy was performed for the definitive diagnosis. The patient was diagnosed with liver metastases from gastric cancer. It is considered that AFP and PIVKA-Ⅱ were produced by the liver metastasis from gastric cancer. He received chemotherapy for liver metastasis and died 1 year after the recurrence.

[A Resected Case of Angiomyolipoma Difficult to Be Distinguished from Hepatocellular Carcinoma]

A 42-year-old man complaining of left back pain was admitted to our hospital. The hepatis B and C surface antigens were negative. The serum levels of tumor markers were within the reference ranges. Abdominal ultrasound revealed an 8 cm-sized, primarily round and hyperechoic mass in the left lateral segment. Contrast-echo showed non-uniform enhancement in the arterial phase and uniform enhancement in the portal phase. This mass did not indicate"wash-out"on contrast- enhanced CT. It showed hypointensity in the hepatobiliary phase on MRI. The definitive diagnosis could not be obtained, and the patient was suspected with malignancy, such as hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC). Therefore, left hemi-hepatectomy was performed for the diagnostic treatment. Based on the immunochemical staining results, he was diagnosed with angiomyolipoma( AML). AML is composed of fat, blood vessels, and smooth muscles. It is regarded as a tumor of perivascular epithelioid cell tumor(PEComa). Early venous return and adipose tissues in the tumor were the distinctive features of this tumor. The preoperative diagnosis of AML without any fatty component as in this case is very difficult.

[A Case of Resected Peritoneal Metastasis from Hepatocellular Carcinoma after Surgery]

A 69-year-old woman with a hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)was followed-up for type B chronic hepatitis and underwent partial hepatectomy(S6)at our hospital. Afterwards, she underwent radiofrequency ablation(RFA)therapy twice because of intrahepatic recurrence. Seven months after the first hepatectomy, a left adrenalectomy was performed for a left adrenal metastasis. Seventeen months after the first hepatectomy, a splenectomy was performed for a splenic metastasis. Forty-three months after the first hepatectomy, a second hepatectomy was performed for intrahepatic recurrence, and a right adrenalectomy was performed for an adrenal metastasis. Sixty-eight months after the first hepatectomy, an abdominal CT revealed a growing solitary lesion in the ascending colon, which was diagnosed as a peritoneal metastasis. The peritoneal dissemination was removed because there were no other extrahepatic or intrahepatic recurrences. Histologically, the resected specimen was diagnosed as a peritoneal metastasis from a HCC. The patient survived, and there were no recurrences for 6 months after the operation. We report this case of a peritoneal metastasis from a HCC after surgery with a review of the literature.

Successful management of gastric remnant necrosis after proximal gastrectomy using a double elementary diet tube: a case report

Background

The stomach has many incoming vessels and is resistant to ischemia due to the rich microvascular network within its submucosal layer. Although reports of gastric remnant necrosis after gastrectomy have been rare, mortality rates remain substantially high when present. A double elementary diet (W-ED) tube, which can be used for both enteral feeding and gastrointestinal tract decompression, has been developed for anastomotic leakage and postoperative nutritional management after upper gastrointestinal surgery. The current report presents a case of gastric remnant necrosis after proximal gastrectomy that was successfully managed through conservative treatment with a W-ED tube.

Case presentation

A 73-year-old male was referred to our hospital for an additional resection after endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for gastric cancer. Endoscopic findings showed an ESD scar on the posterior wall of the upper portion of the stomach, while computed tomography (CT) showed no obvious regional lymph node enlargement and distant metastases. The patient subsequently underwent laparoscopic proximal gastrectomy and esophagogastrostomy but developed candidemia on postoperative day 7. On postoperative day 14, endoscopy revealed gastric ischemic changes around the anastomotic site, suggesting that the patient’s candidemia developed due to gastric necrosis. His vital signs remained normal, while the gastric remnant ischemia was localized. Given that surgery in the presence of candidemia was considered extremely risky, conservative treatment was elected. A W-ED tube was placed nasally, after which enteral feeding was initiated along with gastrointestinal tract decompression. Although the patient subsequently developed anastomotic leakage due to gastric remnant necrosis, local control was achieved and conservative treatment was continued. On postoperative day 52, healing of the gastric remnant necrosis and anastomotic leakage was confirmed, after which the patient started drinking water. Although balloon dilation was required due to anastomotic stenosis, the patient was able to resume oral intake and was discharged on postoperative day 88.

Conclusions

Herein, we present our experience with a case of gastric remnant necrosis after proximal gastrectomy, wherein conservative management was achieved using a W-ED tube. In cases involving high operative risk, the management should be mindful of gastric remnant necrosis as a post-gastrectomy complication.

Successful resection of a neuroendocrine tumor in the gallbladder: a case report

Background

Gallbladder neuroendocrine tumors (GB-NETs) are extremely rare, representing only 0.5% of all NETs because no neuroectodermal cells are present in the gallbladder. In 2019, the World Health Organization updated the classification of NETs based on their molecular differences. The mutation status of DAXX and ATRX has been added to the criteria for well-differentiated NETs.

Case presentation

A 50-year-old man presented to our hospital for further examination of a gallbladder polyp. He had no right quadrant pain, fever, jaundice, weight loss, or carcinoid syndrome-related symptoms. The patient hoped to avoid cholecystectomy. During the 3-year observation period, the polyp gradually increased in size from 8.3 to 9.9 mm. He decided to undergo surgery, and whole cholecystectomy was successfully performed. Immunohistochemical staining revealed positivity for chromogranin A, synaptophysin, and CD56. The Ki-67 index was < 3%. Taken together, these results led to a diagnosis of a grade 1 GB-NET. We also performed immunohistochemical staining of DAXX and ATRX, which revealed that DAXX protein expression was negative. The patient’s postoperative course was uneventful, and he developed no recurrence for 8 years after surgery.

Conclusion

We experienced a very rare case of GB-NET. Obtaining a correct preoperative diagnosis is quite difficult at the first evaluation. A GB-NET should be considered as a differential diagnosis of gallbladder tumors.

Occult follicular lymphoma in a swollen regional lymph node of gastric schwannoma

Background

Regional lymphadenopathy is more commonly noted in gastric schwannomas than in other gastric submucosal tumors. Most of the swollen lymph nodes associated with gastric schwannomas are non-metastatic lymphadenopathy.

Case presentation

A 69-year-old Japanese woman was referred to our hospital with a chief complaint of abdominal discomfort. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen revealed an extraluminal tumor with heterogeneous enhancement at the middle stomach on the lesser curve, accompanied with one swollen lymph node approximately 10 mm in size and several small lymph nodes in the perigastric region. These lymph nodes were flat; therefore, we considered them to be non-metastatic. The main tumor was removed via wedge resection. Soft and slightly swollen lymph nodes, which were compatible with the lymph nodes noted in the preoperative CT, were found near the main tumor in the fatty tissue at the lesser curvature of the stomach. An excisional biopsy of the largest lymph node was performed for the diagnosis. Based on pathological findings, a diagnosis of gastric schwannoma and follicular lymphoma (FL) was confirmed. The patient is doing well without recurrence of either the gastric schwannoma or FL 28 months postsurgery.

Conclusions

The present report detailed an extremely rare case of FL coincidentally discovered in the swollen regional lymph node of gastric schwannoma.

Laparoscopic distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer with simultaneous resection of para-aortic schwannoma

An asymptomatic 74-year-old man was diagnosed with early gastric cancer during screening. Preoperative CT revealed a 25-mm tumor surrounded by the abdominal aorta, inferior vena cava, and left renal vein. Based on the primary tumor stage, para-aortic lymph node metastasis was considered to be unlikely but could not be ruled out. For this reason, we planned a concurrent diagnostic and therapeutic laparoscopic resection with gastrectomy. The gastric cancer and para-aortic tumor were successfully resected laparoscopically. The tumor was diagnosed as a schwannoma. With care and skill, we were able to resect the para-aortic schwannoma and gastric cancer simultaneously and safely by using laparoscopic techniques.

[Laparoscopic Total Gastrectomy with Pancreatosplenectomy after Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Advanced Gastric Cancer with Adjacent Organs Invasion]

A 71-year-old man was diagnosed with locally advanced gastric cancer(cT4b[Panc], N2, M0, cStage III C). He was treated with a triplet neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimen including docetaxel, oxaliplatin and S-1, followed by laparoscopic total gastrectomy with pancreatosplenectomy which achieved R0 resection. He had no pancreatic fistula, leakage and abscess and was transferred to other hospital on POD18 for rehabilitation. Adjuvant chemotherapy wish S-1was started on 7 weeks after surgery. Although multidisciplinary treatment such as perioperative chemotherapy and radical surgery is necessary, careful and precise interpretation of diagnostic image is mandatory for undergoing curative surgery with composite resection laparoscopically. In this report, we demonstrated that totally laparoscopic radical surgery safely and allowed the patient to initiate adjuvant chemotherapy in the early postoperative period.