Branch-duct Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasm with Rapidly Developing Intracystic Xanthogranulomatous Nodules.

We herein report a case of a branch-duct intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) with rapidly developing intracystic xanthogranulomatous nodules. A unilocular cystic lesion without a mural nodule was found in the pancreatic tail of a 69-year-old man. Ten months later, multiple mural nodules emerged unexpectedly within the cyst, and the patient underwent distal pancreatectomy.

Portal Annular Pancreas With Common Hepatic Artery Trajectory Abnormality: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Portal annular pancreas (PAP) is a rare congenital pancreatic anomaly, in which the uncinate process of the pancreas fuses to the body of pancreas behind the portal vein. Here, we report a case of PAP with common hepatic arterial anomaly, which was identified during surgery. A 57-year-old man who had branch type intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm in the head of the pancreas developed a nodule in the cystic lesion.

Clinical impact of developing better practices at the institutional level on surgical outcomes after distal pancreatectomy in 1515 patients: Domestic audit of the Japanese Society of Pancreatic Surgery.

Background And Aim: Institutional standardization in the perioperative management of distal pancreatectomy (DP) has not been evaluated in a multicenter setting. The aim of the present study was to assess the influence of institutional standardization on the development of postoperative complications after DP.

Methods: Data were collected from 1515 patients who underwent DP in 2006, 2010, and 2014 at 53 institutions in Japan.

[Analysis of Oxaliplatin Combination Therapy for Unresectable or Recurrent Gastric Cancer].

We analyzed 26 cases of unresectable or recurrent gastric cancer treated with oxaliplatin(OX)combination therapy between September 2014 and January 2016. The number of unresectable gastric cancer cases was 14 and there were 12 recurrent cases. The number of patients receiving S-1 plus OX(SOX), SOX plus trastuzumab(Tmab), capecitabine(Cape)plus OX(CapeOX), and CapeOX plus Tmab was 17, 1, 6, and 2, respectively.

Clinical impacts of mesothelin expression in gastrointestinal carcinomas.

Mesothelin, C-ERC/mesothelin is a 40-kDa cell surface glycoprotein that is normally present on normal mesothelial cells lining the pleura, peritoneum, and pericardium. Moreover, mesothelin has been shown to be overexpressed in several human cancers, including virtually all mesothelioma and pancreatic cancer, approximately 70% of ovarian cancer and extra bile duct cancer, and 50% of lung adenocarcinomas and gastric cancer. The full-length human mesothelin gene encodes the primary product, a 71-kDa precursor protein.

Resection of liver metastasis derived from alpha-fetoprotein-producing gastric cancer-report of 4 cases.

As is the case for metastatic liver tumors derived from standard gastric cancers, there is no consensus about the optimal treatment for metastatic liver tumors derived from alpha-fetoprotein (AFP)-producing gastric cancer, including regarding the surgical indications for such lesions. We report the cases of 4 patients in whom metastatic liver tumors derived from AFP-producing gastric cancer that were curatively resected. One of the patients had a thrombus in his inferior vena cava at the time of the liver resection, and both the liver tumor and thrombus were completely removed.

Importance of luminal membrane mesothelin expression in intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms.

The present study demonstrated that luminal membrane mesothelin expression is a reliable prognostic factor in gastric cancer. Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs) often exhibit a spectrum of dysplasia, ranging between adenoma and carcinoma. Therefore, an immunohistochemical analysis of mesothelin expression in IPMN was performed in the present study, focusing on the localization of mesothelin.

[A case of an elderly patient with recurrent GIST, which was effectively treated with low-dose imatinib mesylate].

The recommended dose of imatinib for recurrent gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) is 400mg/day. However, adverse effects limit the use of the standard dose in elderly patients. We report a case of an elderly patient with recurrent GIST, where long-term control of the disease was achieved with low-dose imatinib therapy.

Laparoscopic gastrectomy after coronary artery bypass grafting using the right gastroepiploic artery: a report of two cases.

We successfully executed laparoscopic distal gastrectomy in two patients who had previously undergone coronary artery bypass grafting using the right gastroepiploic artery (RGEA). A laparoscopic distal gastrectomy preserving the RGEA graft with Roux-en-Y reconstruction was performed on two men, one 69 years of age and one 73 years of age. In both cases, the RGEA was used during coronary artery bypass grafting for the posterior descending branch.

Chondroma of the diaphragm mimicking a giant liver tumor with calcification: report of a case.

Extraskeletal chondroma is an unusual benign tumor, which rarely arises in the diaphragm. We report a case of chondroma of the diaphragm in a 31-year-old woman. Initially, a benign liver tumor with calcification was suspected, based on pre and intraoperative examination findings.

Long-term outcome of laparoscopic hepatectomy in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background/aims: The long-term prognosis for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who undergo laparoscopic hepatectomy has not been well compared with that for patients after open hepatectomy.

Methodology: We analyzed patient survival (PS) and disease-free survival (DFS) of 310 consecutive patients who underwent primary hepatectomy between January 2001 and March 2010. The patients were divided into Group LAP (laparoscopic approach) (n = 24) and Group OPN (with open laparotomy) (n = 286).

Comparison of the invasiveness between reduced-port laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy and conventional laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy.

It is unknown whether reduced-port gastrectomy has a less invasive nature than conventional laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy (C-LADG). So we compared 30 cases of dual-port laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy (DP-LADG; using an umbilical port plus a right flank 5-mm port) as a reduced-port gastrectomy with 30 cases of C-LADG alternately performed by a single surgeon. No significant differences were observed in blood loss, intraoperative complications, the number of dissected lymph nodes, postoperative complications, the day of first defecation, analgesic agents required, changes in body temperature, heart rate, white blood cell count, serum albumin level, or lymphocyte count between the 2 groups.

Postoperative complication rates and invasiveness of laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy and open distal gastrectomy based on the American Society of Anesthesiologists classification system.

Introduction: We investigated potential advantages of laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy (LADG) in high-risk gastric cancer patients. We examined the differences among various risk groups by comparing the incidence of postoperative complications and invasiveness of LADG with those of open distal gastrectomy (ODG) based on the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) criteria.

Methods: A total of 639 patients with stage IA or IB gastric cancer were included in this study.

The initial experience of dual port laparoscopy-assisted total gastrectomy as a reduced port surgery for total gastrectomy.

Reduced port surgery (RPS), in which fewer ports are used than that in a conventional laparoscopic procedure, is becoming increasingly popular for various surgeries. However, the application of RPS to the field of gastrectomy is still underdeveloped. We started laparoscopy-assisted total gastrectomy through an umbilical port plus another 5 mm port (dual port laparoscopy-assisted total gastrectomy: DP-LATG) as an RPS for laparoscopy-assisted total gastrectomy (LATG).

Intracellular localization of mesothelin predicts patient prognosis of extrahepatic bile duct cancer.

Mesothelin is expressed in various types of malignant tumors, and we recently reported that the expression of mesothelin was related to unfavorable patient outcome in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and gastric adenocarcinoma. In this study, we examined the clinicopathological significance of mesothelin expression in extrahepatic bile duct cancer (EHBDCA), especially in terms of its association with the staining pattern. Tissue samples from 61 EHBDCA (16 hilar cholangiocarcinoma, 17 upper bile duct adenocarci-noma, 20 middle bile duct adenocarcinoma and 8 distal bile duct adenocarcinoma) were immunohistochemically examined.

Analysis of the risk factors for early death due to disease recurrence or progression within 1 year after hepatectomy in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has the highest local controllability among all local treatments and results in a good survival rate. However, the recurrence rates of HCC continue to remain high even after curative hepatectomy. Moreover, it has been reported that some patients with HCC have an early death due to recurrence.

Effectiveness of using ultrasonically activated scalpel in combination with radiofrequency dissecting sealer or irrigation bipolar for hepatic resection.

Background/aims: Many kinds of transection devices have been developed but there are very few reports on the effectiveness of using ultrasonically activated scalpel with a hook blade in combination with a thermo-coagulating device for hepatectomy.

Methodology: We studied 533 consecutive patients who underwent hepatectomy for primary disease and for living- related liver transplantation (LRLT) donors preformed using ultrasonically activated scalpel with a hook blade along with a saline-linked radiofrequency dissecting sealer (TL group, n=215) or bipolar cautery with a saline-irrigation system (IB group, n=318). Intraoperative blood loss, operative time, postoperative laboratory data collected over a week and the incidence of postoperative complications were analyzed in accordance with the pre-existing liver conditions.

Co-expression of mesothelin and CA125 correlates with unfavorable patient outcome in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

Objectives: Recent studies have shown that the high affinity of mesothelin-CA125 interaction might cause intracavitary tumor metastasis. We examined the clinicopathologic significance and prognostic implication of mesothelin and CA125 expression in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

Methods: Tissue samples from 66 pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas were immunohistochemically examined.

[A successful case of systemic chemotherapy followed by liver resection for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma with highly vascular invasion and multiple pulmonary metastases].

The prognosis for hepatocellular carcinoma with extrahepatic metastasis or vascular invasion is very poor. We treated a case successfully by combining chemotherapy and liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma with multiple pulmonary metastases and vascular invasion. A 56-year-old man who complained of abdominal pain in his right side was transported to the hospital by ambulance.

Analysis of risk factors for hyperbilirubinemia occurring after hepatectomy.

Background: To further improve the outcomes of liver resection, it is important to identify and prevent the causes of the hyperbilirubinemia occurring after hepatectomy and postoperative liver failure.

Methods: Between 2004 and 2009, 591 consecutive patients underwent a hepatectomy at our center. Twenty-two patients who developed hyperbilirubinemia (postoperative total bilirubin over 5 mg/dL) after hepatectomy were classified as Hi-Bi group and another 569 whose total bilirubin did not increase beyond 5 mg/dL were classified as non-Hi-Bi group.

Long-term results of hepatectomy for patients with alveolar echinococcosis: a single-center experience.

Background: Hepatectomy is the first-line treatment for alveolar echinococcosis (AE) if complete resection is feasible. However, a strategy for the treatment of patients with AE in whom the tumor cannot be resected completely remains to be defined.

Study Design: Data were retrospectively collected from 188 consecutive patients between 1984 and 2009.

[A study of cirrhotic patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and huge splenomegaly who received treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma with concomitant splenectomy].

Treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with advanced cirrhosis, especially with hypersplenic thrombocytopenia, will be very difficult. Then we evaluated usefulness of concomitant splenectomy with treatment for patients with HCC, severe cirrhosis and huge splenomegaly. The preoperative mean platelet (Plt) count was 4.

Perioperative management of hepatic resection toward zero mortality and morbidity: analysis of 793 consecutive cases in a single institution.

Background: The mortality rates associated with hepatectomy are still not zero. Our aim was to define the risk factors for complications and to evaluate our perioperative management.

Study Design: Between 2001 and 2008, 793 consecutive patients (547 men and 246 women; mean age ± SD, 56.