Giant cavernous hepatic hemangioma shrunk by use of sorafenib.

Here we report a case of a 76-year-old man with a giant cavernous hepatic hemangioma of more than 20 cm in diameter. Since the hepatic hemangioma was actually growing and might possibly rupture and he complained of abdominal symptoms, we decided to perform interventional therapy. First we performed transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) of the hepatic arteries.

[A case of anorectal malignant melanoma appearing 1 year after endoscopic mucosal resection of a rectal adenocarcinoma].

We present a case of a 61-year-old woman who underwent endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) for early-stage colorectal cancer. However, because the condition of the horizontal margin of the resected tumor was unknown, she further underwent local transanal excision. Lower gastrointestinal endoscopy performed 1 year later showed protruding lesions both on the scar tissue and in the vicinity.

Factors predicting incomplete endoscopic hemostasis in bleeding gastroduodenal ulcers.

Background/aims: To investigate the factors contributing to failure of initial hemostasis in patients undergoing endoscopic hemostasis.

Methodology: A total of 316 patients underwent endoscopic hemostasis for bleeding peptic ulcers in a period of 4 years.

Results: For hemostatic procedures, application of hemostatic clips, band ligation, injection of hypertonic saline epinephrine solution, soft coagulation, and argon plasma coagulation were employed either singly or in combination.

[A case report of internal hernia through an abnormal defect in the broad ligament of the uterus].

We report a rare case of internal hernia through an abnormal defect in the broad ligament of the uterus. A 49-year-old woman, without any previous surgery, was admitted because of vomiting and lower abdominal pain. Three days after admission a small amount of small intestinal gas was pointed out on her plain abdominal X-ray film.

The clinical meaning of mucin phenotype and Epstein-Barr virus infection in gastric cancer.

Background/aims: Differentiated type adenocarcinomas producing gastric type mucin are receiving much attention because of their degree of clinical malignancy. Most Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated gastric cancers are undifferentiated type, and correlate with gastric type mucin. We analyzed the clinical meaning of mucin phenotypes and the detection of EBV in gastric cancers.

The long-term efficacy of Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy in patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura.

Background And Aim: A beneficial effect of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication in patients with H. pylori-positive idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) has been reported by several investigators; however, it was not clear whether the recovered platelet count after H.

Mucin and differentiation in Epstein-Barr virus-associated gastric carcinoma.

Background/aims: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is present in roughly 1 in 10 cases of gastric carcinoma, particularly in undifferentiated adenocarcinomas. To clarify the histological developmental processes in EBV-associated gastric carcinoma, we investigated the presence of EBV infection, changes in the degree of differentiation within lesions, and mucin phenotypes of gastric carcinomas.

Methodology: We had already examined 124 gastric carcinomas using in situ hybridization for EBV-encoded small RNA1 (EBER-1) and 12 lesions were EBER-1-positive.

Endoscopic findings potentially predictive of gastric cancer in borderline lesions diagnosed by forceps biopsy.

Background/aims: When a benign-malignant borderline lesion is diagnosed by the usual small gastric biopsy, there is sometimes difficulty in making a clinical decision. To clarify potentially useful findings to predict the existence of gastric cancer in borderline lesions diagnosed by forceps biopsy, we retrospectively analyzed endoscopic features.

Methodology: We diagnosed 68 consecutive gastric benign-malignant borderline lesions (57 cases) by forceps biopsy and endoscopically resected them.

Clinical impact of strip biopsy for early gastric cancer.

Background: The impact of EMR (strip biopsy method) on the selection of subsequent treatment for early gastric cancer was analyzed retrospectively.

Methods: A total of 163 consecutive patients with gastric epithelial tumors (186 lesions) underwent strip biopsy. On the basis of pretherapeutic findings, the indications for strip biopsy were classified into 4 groups: benign-malignant borderline group (93 lesions), curative indication group (65), diagnostic indication group (22), and palliative indication group (6).

Evaluation of epstein-barr virus DNA load in gastric mucosa with chronic atrophic gastritis using a real-time quantitative PCR assay.

Purpose: It is hypothesized that Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has already infected the noncarcinomatous gastric mucosa before carcinogenesis of EBV-associated gastric carcinoma. However, the frequency and distribution of EBV infection in the gastric mucosa of chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) are still unclear. To clarify these points, we evaluated the EBV DNA load in gastric mucosa with CAG.

Prognostic value and interobserver agreement of endoscopic ultrasonography for superficial squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus: a prospective study.

Background And Aims: Submucosal invasion of superficial esophageal cancer (SEC) is related to the prognosis. We prospectively analyzed outcomes of SEC in patients staged by endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS).

Patients And Methods: We staged 31 endoscopically diagnosed SEC cases using a 20/15-MHz thin probe.

Epstein-Barr virus association is rare in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: A critical role of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in carcinogenesis of nasopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma and gastric adenocarcinoma is strongly suspected. We analyzed the possible EBV association for Japanese squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)-dominant esophageal cancer cases.

Methods: We retrospectively screened 36 surgically resected esophageal cancer lesions from 36 patients mainly with SCC using in situ hybridization (ISH) for EBV-encoded small RNA1 (EBER-1).

The pilot experience of immunotherapy-combined photodynamic therapy for advanced gastric cancer in elderly patients.

Background: Therapeutic efficacy of endoscopic photodynamic therapy (PDT) for advanced gastric cancer is limited. Recent animal studies have clarified the very important role of host immune cells in PDT. We expected a potential cooperative effect of PDT and immunotherapy, and developed immunotherapycombined PDT (I-PDT) for advanced gastric cancer.

Preferential expansion of Vgamma9-JgammaP/Vdelta2-Jdelta3 gammadelta T cells in nasal T-cell lymphoma and chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection.

We recently established an Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-positive gammadelta T-cell line from a nasal T/natural killer (NK)-cell lymphoma (Nagata H, Konno A, Kimura N, Zhang Y, Kimura M, Demachi A, Sekine T, Yamamoto K, Shimizu N: Characterization of novel natural killer (NK)-cell and gammadelta T-cell lines established from primary lesions of nasal T/NK-cell lymphomas associated with the Epstein-Barr virus. Blood 2001, 97:708-713). Subsequently, we established two novel EBV-positive gammadelta T-cell lines from the peripheral blood of patients with chronic active EBV infection.