Sentinel lymph node mapping for 385 gastric cancer patients.

Background: The objectives were to investigate the accuracy of sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy, detect the predictors for undetected or false-negative cases, evaluate the indications for SLN-navigated gastrectomy, and characterize the problems of SLN mapping in gastric cancer. The SLN concept may be applicable to early gastric cancer, particularly clinical T1N0M0 or T2N0M0 with tumor diameter ≤4 cm.

Methods: A total of 385 consecutive patients diagnosed with cT1N0M0 or cT2aN0M0 operable gastric cancer from April 1999 to December 2007 underwent radical gastrectomy with SLN mapping.

Sentinel node mapping in adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction.

Background: The incidence of adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction (AEG) is increasing, but the surgical strategy for AEG remains controversial. We hypothesized that sentinel node (SN) mapping for AEG could be validated to avoid unnecessary lymphadenectomy and permit minimally invasive surgery. We examined the feasibility of SN mapping for AEG.

Suitability of sentinel node mapping as an index of metastasis in early gastric cancer following endoscopic resection.

Background: When pathological diagnosis following endoscopic resection (ER) for early gastric cancer (EGC) suggests probable lymph node metastasis, additional surgery with lymphadenectomy should be performed. The sentinel node (SN) concept has yet to be applied to tumors following ER. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of SN navigation surgery for such tumors.

Long-term outcome of patients with locally resected high- and low-risk rectal carcinoid tumors.

Background: Tumor size and lymphovascular invasion are known high-risk factors for lymph node and distant metastasis in patients with rectal carcinoid tumors. However, the optimal treatment for these tumors remains controversial.

Aim: The aim of this paper is to compare the outcome of local or radical resection between patients with high-risk (tumor size >10 mm or lymphovascular invasion) disease and those with low-risk (tumor size ≤10 mm, no lymphovascular invasion) disease.

A Case Report of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in a Non-cirrhotic Patient With Liver Iron Overload Associated With Myelodysplastic Syndrome.

Hereditary hemochromatosis (HH) is associated with an increased risk for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) occurring predominantly in patients with cirrhosis at the time of diagnosis. However, HCC in non-cirrhotic liver of patients with secondary hemochromatosis is rare. A 67-year-old man with a history of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) was found to have a liver tumor on abdominal computed tomography (CT).

Desmoplastic fibroma arising in the distal phalanx of the great toe: a case report.

Desmoplastic fibroma (DF) of the bone is a rare locally aggressive tumor usually occurring in adolescents and young adults. These tumors most commonly occur in the mandibles and metaphyses of long bones but are extremely rare in small bones, often resulting in diagnostic problems. The occurrence of these tumors in the foot is especially limited.

Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis involving diffuse alveolar hemorrhage, rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis and hypereosinophilia.

The classification of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) has limitations because the condition includes disorders with similar general clinical features, similar characteristics of lung and renal involvement and a positive ANCA serology. A 40-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital for hemoptysis and dyspnea. She had no history of bronchial asthma.

Multicenter study evaluating the clinical performance of the OSNA assay for the molecular detection of lymph node metastases in gastric cancer patients.

Background: The accurate diagnosis of lymph node (LN) metastasis is important for making treatment decisions for gastric cancer patients. This multicenter study evaluated the clinical performance of the one-step nucleic acid amplification (OSNA) assay (Sysmex Corp.), an automated system that detects cytokeratin 19 (CK19) mRNA, in detecting LN metastases in gastric cancer patients.

xCT inhibition depletes CD44v-expressing tumor cells that are resistant to EGFR-targeted therapy in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

The targeting of antioxidant systems that allow stem-like cancer cells to avoid the adverse consequences of oxidative stress might be expected to improve the efficacy of cancer treatment. Here, we show that head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cells that express variant isoforms of CD44 (CD44v) rely on the activity of the cystine transporter subunit xCT for control of their redox status. xCT inhibition selectively induces apoptosis in CD44v-expressing tumor cells without affecting CD44v-negative differentiated cells in the same tumor.

Detection of HEY1-NCOA2 fusion by fluorescence in-situ hybridization in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues as a possible diagnostic tool for mesenchymal chondrosarcoma.

Mesenchymal chondrosarcoma (MC) is an extremely rare subtype of chondrosarcoma. A tumor specific fusion gene, HEY1-NCOA2 fusion, was recently identified in this tumor. The finding raises the possibility that the diagnosis of MC can be improved by examining the fusion gene.

Overexpression of miR-142-5p and miR-155 in gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma resistant to Helicobacter pylori eradication.

microRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that can function as endogenous silencers of target genes and play critical roles in human malignancies. To investigate the molecular pathogenesis of gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma, the miRNA expression profile was analyzed. miRNA microarray analysis with tissue specimens from gastric MALT lymphomas and surrounding non-tumor mucosae revealed that a hematopoietic-specific miRNA miR-142 and an oncogenic miRNA miR-155 were overexpressed in MALT lymphoma lesions.

Anticoagulation therapy dramatically improved severe sigmoiditis with findings resembling inflammatory bowel disease, which was caused by mesenteric venous thrombosis.

Mesenteric venous thrombosis is an insidious disease, with a high mortality rate typically attributed to the long delay in diagnosis. Rapid diagnosis and treatment are important. Here, we present a patient with idiopathic inferior mesenteric venous (IMV) thrombosis.

Large liposarcoma developing in the ischiorectal fossa: Report of a rare case.

Introduction: We herein report an extremely rare case of a liposarcoma developing in the ischiorectal fossa that was completely resected using a transsacral approach.

Presentation Of Case: A 74-year-old man was admitted to our institute because of a large perianal tumor. A pelvic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed an 8cm×7cm×5cm sized encapsulated heterogeneous tumor on the right side of the ischiorectal fossa.

Li-Fraumeni syndrome with simultaneous osteosarcoma and liver cancer: increased expression of a CD44 variant isoform after chemotherapy.

Background: Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS) is a hereditary cancer predisposition syndrome that is commonly associated with a germline mutation in the tumor suppressor gene p53. Loss of p53 results in increased expression of CD44, a cancer stem cell (CSC) marker, which is involved in the scavenging of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Here, we report a change in the expression of a CD44 variant isoform (CD44v8-10) in an 8-year-old female LFS patient with osteosarcoma and atypical liver cancer after chemotherapy.

Colon neoplastic cells do not originate from bone marrow-derived cells after sex-mismatched bone marrow transplantation.

Background: Although previous studies indicate that gastrointestinal (GI) cancer may originate from cells recruited from bone marrow (BM) in mice, whether similar phenomena occur in humans is controversial. In the current study, we evaluated two female patients who developed colonic adenocarcinoma more than 10 years after gender-mismatched BM transplantation, and followingly underwent successful endoscopic mucosal resection.

Materials And Methods: Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis was used to determine whether the tumours contained donor-derived BM cells.

Metastatic patterns of myxoid/round cell liposarcoma: a review of a 25-year experience.

Myxoid/round cell liposarcoma (MRCL), unlike other soft tissue sarcomas, has been associated with unusual pattern of metastasis to extrapulmonary sites. In an attempt to elucidate the clinical features of MRCL with metastatic lesions, 58 cases, from the medical database of Keio University Hospital were used for the evaluation. 47 patients (81%) had no metastases, whereas 11 patients (11%) had metastases during their clinical course.

HOXB9 expression promoting tumor cell proliferation and angiogenesis is associated with clinical outcomes in breast cancer patients.

Background: Studies have suggested that HOXB9 expression in breast cancer cells promotes cellular invasiveness, metastatic ability, and tumor neovascularization in the surrounding tissue in in vitro and in vivo assays. These findings imply that HOXB9 overexpression may alter tumor-specific cell fates and the tumor stromal microenvironment, contributing to breast cancer progression. The objective of this study was to analyze whether these results could be applied to clinical practice.

Risk factors for postoperative recurrence in patients with pathologically T1 colorectal cancer.

Background: The evolution of diagnostic procedures has resulted in an increase in early detection of pathologically T1 (pT1) colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the risk factors affecting long-term outcomes of patients with pT1 CRCs have been unclear. The aim of the present study was to identify risk factors for postoperative recurrence and overall survival in patients with pT1 CRC.

Molecular detection of sentinel node micrometastases in patients with clinical N0 gastric carcinoma with real-time multiplex reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction assay.

Purpose: Described is a novel real-time multiplex reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay suitable for intraoperative detection of micrometastasis (MM) in sentinel nodes (SNs) dissected from patients with clinical N0 (cN0) gastric carcinoma.

Methods: One hundred three patients with gastric cancer, who were preoperatively diagnosed with cN0 and clinical T1 or T2, were enrolled. The patients underwent SN mapping followed by standard radical gastrectomy with lymph node dissection.

Spontaneous remission of solitary-type infantile myofibromatosis.

Infantile myofibromatosis is a rare fibrous tumor of infancy. The cutaneous solitary type has typically an excellent prognosis. However, histologically, it is important to rule out leiomyosarcoma, which has a poor prognosis.

Two cases of bowel perforation associated with sunitinib treatment for renal cell carcinoma.

Sunitinib, a multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is widely used in the treatment of carcinoma. Adverse events associated with this treatment, including fatigue, diarrhea, and hematotoxicity, have been reported in clinical trials. Bowel perforation is a surgical emergency that requires immediate treatment depending on the location and progression of the tumor.

Thirteen-month-old boy with malignant lymphoma having symptoms mimicking acute otitis media and mastoiditis with facial palsy.

Non-Hodgkin diffuse large B-cell lymphomas of the mastoid that extend from the nasopharynx are extremely rare in children. Moreover, in lymphoproliferative diseases, the presence of otoneurological signs prior to systemic disease involvement is rare. Here, we present a rare case of non-Hodgkin B-cell lymphoma invading the middle ear and mastoid in a 1-year-old boy that mimicked acute mastoiditis with complete facial nerve palsy.

Expression of Snail and Slug in renal cell carcinoma: E-cadherin repressor Snail is associated with cancer invasion and prognosis.

The Snail family transcription factors have been proposed as important mediators of epithelial-mesenchymal transition because of their role in down-regulation of E-cadherin and up-regulation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). The present study was undertaken to investigate the expression of Snail, Slug and their associations with cancer invasion and prognosis in renal cell carcinomas (RCCs). Ninety-seven primary RCCs were analyzed for the protein expression of Snail, Slug, MMP2 and MMP9 by immunohistochemistry.

Correlation between endocytoscopy and conventional histopathology in microstructural features of ulcerative colitis.

Background: Routine diagnosis of the histopathological activity of ulcerative colitis (UC) requires multiple biopsy samples, and an endocytoscopy system (ECS) provides real-time ultra-magnifying microscopic imaging in vivo.

Methods: We have established an ECS score (ECSS) to determine a histopathological activity index of UC. Fifty-five UC patients (mean age 40.