Long-term survival after resection of a gastric metastasis from transverse colon cancer: a case report.

Metastatic neoplasms in the stomach from remote primary tumors are uncommon, and gastric metastases of colorectal origin are rare. We herein report a case of gastric metastasis originating from transverse colon cancer in a 61-year-old female patient. Curative right extended hemicolectomy and partial gastrectomy were performed.

A novel gene expression scoring system for accurate diagnosis of basaloid squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus.

Basaloid squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus (BSCE) is a rare variant of squamous cell carcinoma that is difficult to distinguish from other carcinomas by preoperative endoscopic biopsy because of its histological varieties. Accurate diagnosis is essential for adequate treatment, and the methods proposed so far (e.g.

Management strategy of isolated spontaneous dissection of the superior mesenteric artery.

Objective: Isolated spontaneous dissection of the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) is very rare among of the visceral artery dissection and its treatment is not established. In this paper we present our experiences and consider the treatment of isolated SMA dissection.

Methods: A retrospective review of our cases from 2005 was performed.

Activation of the sonic hedgehog pathway and its prognostic impact in patients with gastric cancer.

Background: The sonic hedgehog (SHH) signaling pathway is critical in fetal organogenesis. Activation of the SHH pathway has been associated with several types of human cancer; however, the clinical impact of SHH activation in patients with gastric cancer is still unknown.

Methods: The present study included 41 patients with gastric cancer who underwent gastrectomy between 2000 and 2004.

A case report of aneuysmectomy after thrombo-intimectomy for spontaneous isolated superior mesenteric artery dissection.

A 53 year-old man was admitted with acute onset of severe abdominal pain, and we performed emergent thrombectomy and intimectomy for acute, complete occlusion of superior mesenteric artery (SMA) due to its spontaneous dissection. However, 4 months later the operated part of the SMA enlarged due to aneurysm and the patient was treated by aneuysmectomy and iliac-mesenteric bypass using a saphenous vein. Aggressive treatment such as surgical or endovascular procedure is necessary for severe ischemia due to SMA dissection.

CD83(+) dendritic cells and Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells in primary lesions and regional lymph nodes are inversely correlated with prognosis of gastric cancer.

Background: Dendritic cells (DCs) are potent antigen-presenting cells that are central to the regulation, maturation, and maintenance of the cellular immune response against cancer. In contrast, CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory T cells (Tregs) play a central role in self-tolerance and suppress antitumor immunity. In this study, we investigated the clinical significance of mature CD83(+) DCs and Foxp3(+) Tregs in the primary tumor and regional lymph nodes from the viewpoint of the two opposing players in the immune responses.

Cathepsin L is highly expressed in gastrointestinal stromal tumors.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most common mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract that are diagnosed by c-kit staining in most cases. A lysosomal cysteine proteinase termed cathepsin L has been commonly associated with malignancy in several cancer types, but this finding has not been reported for GISTs. We analyzed the cathepsin L mRNA and protein expression in GISTs.

Expression of tight-junction-associated proteins in human gastric cancer: downregulation of claudin-4 correlates with tumor aggressiveness and survival.

Background: Claudin, occludin, and zonula occludens (ZO)-1 are known as tight-junction-associated proteins. The aim of this study was to examine the expression of these proteins in gastric carcinoma.

Methods: Gastric cancer tissues (n = 124) were obtained from 124 patients who underwent gastrectomy at our hospital between January 2000 and December 2004.

Ornithine decarboxylase activity as a prognostic marker for colorectal cancer.

Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) is a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of polyamines, which are essential for cell proliferation. ODC activity was measured in 47 colorectal cancer patients, 5 patients with adenoma of colorectum and 4 healthy volunteers. Mean ODC activities of cancer tissue, non-cancerous mucosa from cancer-bearing colorectum, adenoma tissue, and normal mucosa from healthy volunteers were 435+/-392, 154+/-173, 295+/-202, 103+/-60 pmol CO2/h/mg protein, respectively.

[A case of advanced gastric cancer responding remarkably to neo-adjuvant combination chemotherapy using CPT-11 plus S-1].

Adjuvant chemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer has not yet been established. We report a patient with advanced gastric cancer responding remarkably to neo-adjuvant combination chemotherapy consisting of CPT-11 and S-1. The patient was a 69-year-old woman diagnosed with large type 3 advanced gastric cancer with esophageal invasion and having No.

Detection of cancer cells disseminated in bone marrow using real-time quantitative RT-PCR of CEA, CK19, and CK20 mRNA in patients with gastric cancer.

Background: To determine the significance of bone marrow disseminated tumor cells in gastric cancer, we investigated the mRNA expression levels of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), cytokeratin 19 (CK19), and cytokeratin 20 (CK20) using the real-time quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RQ-PCR).

Methods: Bone marrow samples were aspirated from the sternum at the time of surgery in 65 patients with resectable gastric cancer. Total RNA was extracted from bone marrow; and the expression levels of CEA, CK19, and CK20 mRNA were determined by RQ-PCR using an ABI PRISM 7000 and quantified against the GAPDH mRNA level.

Understanding the response of dendritic cells to activation by streptococcal preparation OK-432.

Background: The streptococcal preparation OK-432 induces maturation of T cells and dendritic cells (DCs). However, the mechanisms by which OK-432 induces DC maturation are not well understood.

Materials And Methods: The effects of OK-432 and TNF-alpha on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were compared.

[Experimental study for a combination chemo-immunotherapy using dendritic cells].

This study was designed to seek for the optimal anticancer agents for a combination of chemotherapy and specific immunotherapy using dendritic cells (DC) in gastric cancer. We investigated the immuno-suppressive activity of anticancer agents on human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), apoptosis inducing activity on gastric cancer cells and expression of Toll-like receptor (TLR)-4 mRNA on immatureDCs (iDCs) by paclitaxel (TXL) and docetaxel (TXT). We further compared the cytotoxicity of cytotixic T lymphocytes (CTLs) induced by DCs pulsed with tumor cell lysate and apoptotic cells induced by TXT.

Prediction of sensitivity to fluoropyrimidines by metabolic and target enzyme activities in gastric cancer.

Background: This study was designed to investigate the role of thymidylate synthase (TS), dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD), and thymidine phosphorylase (TP) in tumor progression and sensitivity to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU).

Methods: A total of 275 tumor samples from 275 patients with gastric cancer were utilized in this study. TS activity was determined in 130 samples by 5-fluorodeoxyuridine monophosphate binding assay.

[Progress of postoperative adjuvant therapies for esophageal cancer].

Among the gastrointestinal cancers, esophageal cancer is supposed to be relatively sensitive to both radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The efficacy of combined chemo-radiotherapy in unresectable patients has been confirmed by several investigators. However, no prospective randomized controlled trials with surgery alone as a control had demonstrated significant survival benefit by postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy or chemotherapy in resectable patients.