A novel combined prognostic nutritional index and aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index-based score can predict the survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who undergo hepatic resection.

Purpose: Inflammation-, nutrition-, and liver fibrosis-related markers are recognized as prognostic for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. This study, therefore, assessed the preoperative prognostic utility of the combination of these markers in patients with HCC.

Methods: This single-center retrospective study included patients who underwent hepatic resection for HCC between 2004 and 2017.

Mac-2-Binding Protein Glycosylation Isomer as a Novel Predictor of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Recurrence in Patients with Hepatitis C Virus Eradication.

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) can recur even after achievement of a sustained virologic response (SVR). Mac-2-binding protein glycosylation isomer (M2BPGi) is a newly identified biomarker correlated with liver fibrosis. This study aimed to clarify outcomes for patients with an SVR and to assess the prognostic value of M2BPGi.

Prognostic Impact of Lymphocyte-C-Reactive Protein Ratio in Patients Who Underwent Surgical Resection for Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background: Systemic inflammation-related factors, either independently or in combination, are recognized as prognostic factors for various cancers. The ratio of lymphocyte count to C-reactive protein concentration (lymphocyte-CRP ratio; LCR) is a recently identified prognostic marker for several cancers. Here, we examined the prognostic value of the LCR in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Does short-term cessation of smoking before lung resections reduce the risk of complications?

Background: Smoking cessation is a highly important preparation before thoracic surgery. We examined the effects of short-term smoking cessation intervention before pulmonary resection on postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs).

Methods: A retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data was performed for 753 patients who underwent curative surgical resection for thoracic malignancy at 3 institutions.

A case of perforation of Meckel's diverticulum with enterolith.

Background: Perforation of Meckel's diverticulum with enteroliths is a rare complication. Here, we report a case of perforation of Meckel's diverticulum with one enterolith, which could not be accurately diagnosed by preoperative computed tomography.

Case Presentation: A 16-year-old male patient with acute onset of severe abdominal pain and a localized muscle guarding in the right hypochondrium had a solitary stone detected in the right abdomen by radiography.

The Influence of Clinical T Factor on Predicting Pathologic N Factor in Resected Lung Cancer.

Background: We investigated the utility of the clinical T factor of the 8th edition of the TNM classification, which newly defines the consolidation size of the tumor, as a valuable predictor of pathologic lymph node metastasis (pN+) and the prognosis.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 825 patients with surgically resected cN0 M0 non-small cell lung cancer of any T stage, focusing on the tumor's total size (7th edition) and consolidation size (8th edition) and examined pN+ and the prognosis.

Results: No pN+ cases in the 7th or 8th edition groups had a tumor size of less than 1 cm, and in those sized 1 to 3 cm, the frequency of pN+ in the 7th and 8th edition groups was 10.

Pneumonectomy after induction chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer: should curative intent pulmonary resection be avoided?

Purpose: We conducted a retrospective analysis to assess the practicality of pneumonectomy, especially after concurrent induction chemoradiotherapy (i-CRT), for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (LA-NSCLC). The operative risks vs. the survival benefit of this procedure for such patients is a subject of controversy.

Acute median arcuate ligament syndrome after pancreaticoduodenectomy.

Background: Median arcuate ligament syndrome (MALS) can cause severe complications after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). Most of the reported cases of MALS have been diagnosed perioperatively and can be treated efficiently by interventional radiology or division of the median acute ligament (MAL) fibers.

Case Report: A 69-year-old woman underwent PD with resection of the SMV for pancreatic head cancer.

The stress response gene ATF3 is a direct target of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and inhibits the invasion and migration of HCT116 human colorectal cancer cells.

Aberrant Wnt/β-catenin signaling is implicated in tumorigenesis and the progression of human colorectal cancers, and mutations in the components of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway are observed in the majority of patients. Therefore, extensive studies on the Wnt signaling pathway and its target genes are crucial to understand the molecular events of tumorigenesis and develop an efficacious therapy. In this study, we showed that the stress response gene ATF3 is transcriptionally activated by the binding of β-catenin and TCF4 to the redundant TCF4 site at the proximal promoter region of the ATF3 gene, indicating that ATF3 is a direct target of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway.

A case of different mutations in surgically resected synchronous triple lung cancer.

We describe a 77-year-old Japanese woman who presented with three nodule shadows in three different lobes of the right lung, without evidence of lymph node metastasis or distant metastasis. All three tumors were surgically resected. The pathological diagnosis was synchronous multiple primary lung cancer: pT2aN0M0, pStageIB.

A typical carcinoid tumor of the lung presenting with pure persistent ground-glass opacity on high-resolution computed tomography: a case report.

Pure ground-glass opacity nodules (p-GGN) on high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) generally have been considering typically associated with adenocarcinoma with less invasive nature. We herein reported a patient presenting focal p-GGN on middle lobe of the right lung who underwent surgical resection with its pathological diagnosis turned out to be typical carcinoid tumor.

Surgical resection of a well-differentiated inflammatory liposarcoma of the middle mediastinum: a case report.

Liposarcomas are the most common type of mesenchymal neoplasm in soft tissue sarcomas. Although they frequently develop at the lower limbs or retroperitoneum, cases arising from the mediastinum are rare. Furthermore, the incidence of the inflammatory subtype of well-differentiated liposarcoma is known to be low.

Evaluation of erlotinib for the treatment of patients with non-small cell lung cancer with epidermal growth factor receptor wild type.

Erlotinib is one of the treatment choices for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), regardless of the epidermal growth factor receptor () mutation status. However, its efficacy for the treatment of patients with NSCLC with wild type or who are beyond the usage of gefitinib remains controversial. The present study therefore retrospectively assessed the efficacy of erlotinib in patients with wild type who had previously undergone gefitinib therapy.

Uncommon features of surgically resected ALK-positive cavitary lung adenocarcinoma: a case report.

Some features found on chest computed tomography (CT), such as central tumor location, large pleural effusion, and the absence of a pleural tail, and a patient age of less than 60 years, have been suggested to be useful in predicting anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangement in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).A 68-year-old female patient with a history of gynecological treatment was found to have a cavitary mass in the right lower lobe on an annual chest roentgenogram. The tumor was located in the peripheral area with a pleural tail showing no pleural effusion.

The Controlling Nutritional Status Score Is a Significant Independent Predictor of Poor Prognosis in Patients With Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma.

Introduction: Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a devastating neoplasm; however, some patients exhibit a good response to chemotherapy or multidisciplinary therapy, including surgery and chemotherapy. It is therefore important to discover the factors that can be used to select patients who will benefit from such treatment. Although the Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) score has been used to predict the prognosis in other types of malignancy, its utility in patients with MPM is unknown.

Pulmonary Resection for Synchronous M1b-cStage IV Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients.

Background: We wanted to assess the efficacy of curative intent pulmonary resection for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with synchronous M1b-distant metastases in a single organ or lesion.

Methods: Between 1995 and 2015, 23 consecutive synchronous M1b-cStage IV NSCLC patients who underwent any treatment for metastases and curative intent pulmonary resection were retrospectively analyzed.

Results: Sixteen patients were men and 7 were women, with a median age of 56 years (range: 41 to 76 years).

The Prognostic Impact of Jumonji Domain-containing 2B in Patients with Resected Lung Adenocarcinoma.

Background: Jumonji domain-containing 2B, JMJD2B, has been shown to play an important role in the pathogenesis of lung cancer cells. However, the significance of JMJD2B in patients with lung cancer remains to be elucidated.

Patients And Methods: Seventy-eight patients with resected adenocarcinoma, whose data regarding oncogenic drivers in lung cancer were available, were included in the study.

mutation-positive advanced thymic carcinoma successfully treated as a mediastinal gastrointestinal stromal tumor: A case report.

Thymic carcinoma is an exceptionally rare tumor, which has a very poor prognosis, differing from thymoma. Although cytotoxic chemotherapy is commonly used to treat advanced thymic carcinoma, its effectiveness has not been found to be sufficient. There are several reports that thymic carcinoma also harbors an oncogenic driver mutation, similar to lung cancer.

How should we manage small focal pure ground-glass opacity nodules on high-resolution computed tomography? A single institute experience.

Background: Although the detection of pure ground-glass opacity (p-GGO) nodules on high-resolution chest computed tomography (HRCT) often implies a diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, the management of p-GGO nodules remains under discussion.

Objective: To assess the correlation between the radiological and pathological diagnoses of small p-GGO on HRCT.

Patients And Methods: This is a single-institution retrospective study.

Role of activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-induced sensitization of p53-deficient human colon cancer cells to tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL)-mediated apoptosis through up-regulation of death receptor 5 (DR5) by zerumbone and celecoxib.

Death receptor 5 (DR5) is a death domain-containing transmembrane receptor that triggers cell death upon binding to its ligand, TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL), and a combination of TRAIL and agents that increase the expression of DR5 is expected to be a novel anticancer therapy. In this report, we demonstrate that the stress response gene ATF3 is required for endoplasmic reticulum stress-mediated DR5 induction upon zerumbone (ZER) and celecoxib (CCB) in human p53-deficient colorectal cancer cells. Both agents activated PERK-eIF2α kinases and induced the expression of activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4)-CCAAT enhancer-binding protein (C/EBP) homologous protein, which were remarkably suppressed by reactive oxygen species scavengers.

Role of ATF3 in synergistic cancer cell killing by a combination of HDAC inhibitors and agonistic anti-DR5 antibody through ER stress in human colon cancer cells.

Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACIs) are promising agents for cancer therapy. However, the mechanism(s) responsible for the efficacy of HDACIs have not yet to be fully elucidated. Death receptor 5 (DR5) is a transmembrane receptor containing death domain that triggers cell death upon binding to TRAIL (tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand) or agonistic anti-DR5 monoclonal antibody, and the combination of TRAIL/agonistic anti-DR5 monoclonal antibody and agents that increase the expression of DR5 is expected as a novel anticancer therapeutic strategy.